Ayami, the Lost One
by Etsuke Hansamora
Summary: What happens when a lost girl is found by the sand siblings, and becomes a ninja for Konoha? Will the girl see her new friends again? And why is it that she can only remember anything that's happened to her since she was ten, and her name?
1. Arrival

I stumbled upon Konoha by mistake. I remembered every detail of it. I ought to, considering it was the first thing I remembered.

_The wind blew hard, forcing me to somewhat crouch and push against it. The gales threatened to blow me away if I wasn't careful._

_I didn't know where I was going, only that I had to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. If I stopped, my legs would forget where they were taking me. I, myself, didn't remember._

_I saw the vague outline of a shape in the distance. It was dark, and I couldn't see much. My feet kept moving._

_It began to rain, and between it, and the wind, I was in a bit of a predicament. I saw nowhere to hide from this onslaught, and the shape, which must have been a city or town of some kind, looked to still be miles away. Still, I pushed on._

_There was a crack of lightning, the sound of moving leaves, and I blacked out._

_When I woke again, all I saw was white. Grayish shapes that seemed humanoid moved through the haze. Undistinguishable voices occasionally penetrated the deafness. After a while, with no improvement on my conditioon, I passed out again._

_The next time I awoke, everything was white again, but not in the same way. I could see the shapes of the walls and ceiling around me. Beneath me, I could feel the cushion of a bed. Next to me, on a side table, was a vase. Inside the vase was a single flower, a black Dragon Lilly. My vision focused, tunneling on the flower. It was the last thing I saw for that period of wakening._

_I woke again early the next morning. I knew, because I could see the light of the dawn coming through a window to my left. I tried to get up to go look out the window, but pain raced across my body, and I was pulled back under._

_I opened my eyes again to see the light of a fading sun fading on the walls. A person coughed._

_My head spun, my eyes locking on the boy sitting by me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he smiled shyly. He had an adorable grin on as I looked at him. His hair was messy and kind of spiky, a light brown color. His eyes were the darkest purple I'd ever seen, appearing black at first glance. He was dressed in loose black pants and a black tee shirt. On his arm, a band of some kind was tied._

_"Where am I?"_

_"Konoha," was his only answer. He seemed concerned. I looked at the side table again. Now there were two black Dragon Lillies. The first was now somewhat wilted._

_"Where is Konoha?"_

_"The Land of Fire. Do you remember how you got here?"_

_"There...there was a storm. A branch or something broke, and landed on top of me. I blacked out."_

_"More than a branch. A whole tree came down on you. You're lucky you weren't killed by the tree or from the possibility of drowning. The tree kept you safe from the rain. I found you close to dawn, because the tree blocked the path, and I could hear you moaning. My siblings and I got you out and I carried you here. Do you remember your name?"_

_"I'm...Ayami. My name is Ayami. Who are you?"_

_"My name is Kankuro."_

_"Kankuro..."_

_I looked at the Dragon Lillies again._

_"Did you bring the flowers for me, Kankuro?"_

_"Yes. I thought they might cheer you up when you came around."_

_"Most people wouldn't pick black to cheer someone up. But they're perfect. What made you pick them?"_

_"You did. I knew when I first saw you that you weren't normal."_

_"Hmph. Yeah right. I'm nothing special."_

_"You are, even if you or no one else but me knows it."_

_"So where are you from. You speak of this place as if you're not from here."_

_"I'm not. I'm from Suna, in the Land of Wind."_

_"Why are you here?"_

_"I came here with my siblings and our father. Our father is the Kazekage and had business here. We'll be leaving soon, but Temari, Gaara, and I wanted to make sure you were going to be alright."_

_"Are they your siblings?"_

_"Yes. Temari is my older sister, and Gaara is my little brother. You don't look like you could be much older than me. Do you remember how old you are?"_

_"I think so... I think I'm ten."_

_"You're only a year younger than me!"_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_

_We sat in silence for a while. The next time I spoke, my voice sounded very drowsy, even to me._

_"Kankuro, what do you think is so special about me?"_

_I yawned, and only just heard him say, "I'm a ninja. And something tells me, you're going to be one, too. A powerful one," before my eyes closed again._

_The last time I saw Kankuro was the first day I got up from the bed. I was sitting in a chair at the window when he came in._

_"Ayami! You're up! Like, actually, up, out of bed."_

_I turned around and smiled at my first, and so far, only, friend._

_"Yeah! I am, aren't I? I was getting tired of being stuck in bed."_

_"But you still don't look very good."_

_"I'm getting better every day. Stronger."_

_"That's great," he murmured._

_"Is everything alright, Kankuro?"_

_"No. My father, siblings, and I are going back to Suna today."_

_"You didn't tell me..."_

_"I know. I didn't want you to be upset. You're trying to get better, and you've been through enough. I just wanted you to be happy."_

_"Thank you for that, Kankuro. But what am I going to do when you leave? No one else comes to visit me."_

_"The Hokage will. He's going to look after you for a while, at least until the test."_

_"Test? What test?"_

_"A chakra test, to see if you're strong enough to become a ninja."_

_"You keep talking about ninjas, and training and stuff, but I've never fought, trained, or anything else, that I can remember."_

_"You can't remember anything before the storm," he pointed out. He showed me the band on his arm. "I think you can do it. I managed. And if you train, we may end up seeing each other again one day." He smiled._

_"I would like that. But I don't even know what chakra is!"_

_"You don't have to. If you pass, you'll go to the Academy and learn everything."_

_I stood gingerly, and walked with a limp to Kankuro. My right arm was in a sling, but I still had one free arm. I hugged him. He seemed surprised, but hugged me back._

_"Thank you," I whispered in his ear._

_"Even if you don't become a ninja, I hope I see you again someday," he said. He smiled, and pulled a dark blue Dragon Lilly from behind his back. He put in my hair, a little above my ear._

_"I thought a change from the black would be nice. And the blue looks really nice with your eyes."_

_I blushed, but I wasn't sure why._

_Kankuro hugged me first this time. "Goodbye, Ayami. I promise, I'll find you again one day. Even if it's not in this life, I'll find you."_

_"I will see you again, Kankuro." I returned his hug, and then he was gone._

_The next day, despite my injuries, an older looking man, the Hokage is who he introduced himself as, looked about in my mind._

_"Yes..." he murmured to himself. "Yes, you will make a fine ninja for the Leaf, Ayami Mitsuki."_

_"I will? And how did you learn my last name when I didn't know it?"_

_"Indeed you shall. And I learned it though your mind. Although you cannot access all your memories, others can. I suspect you will eventually unlock your past, but know this. It will not be pleasant for you to remember."_

_My face must have appeared frightened, because he smiled kindly._

_"I would not worry about it too much now, Ayami."_

_"But..."_

_"Hush, child. All will be alright now. You may not have originated here, but you're here now. And here you will stay."_

_I smiled, tears in my eyes. I was so happy. I wasn't going to be kicked out, forced to try and find a way in a world I didn't know. I wasn't going to die. I was safe._

But, I wasn't recalling all of this right now. No, I was tossing and turning in my sleep, three years later, as I saw another nightmare.


	2. Meet Team Niyana

_There he was again. The man with the yellow snake eyes and long black hair. He kept coming to me at night, haunting me. I didn't even know who he was._

_"Ayami. You belong to me, Ayami... I may not have gotten the chance to mark you last time I saw you, but eventually, you'll come to me. Just you wait. I stole you from the Land of Lightning, but you were on your way to me after our separation. Until that storm..." he hissed._

_The man circled me, observing my stance, my expression, as if he may devour me. The man frightened me._

_"I will see you again, little Ayami. Soon..."_

I woke up in a cold sweat. Light streamed in my open window, and on the side table of my bed was a potted, growing black Dragon Lilly. Next to it, my clock read that it was seven thirty-four. I had more than an hour to kill before meeting my teammates for training.

I had easily passed in Academy, soaring far over my own expectations. The training and skills to become a ninja seemed to come naturally to me. I didn't know any special jutsu yet, however, because I hadn't had anyone to teach me. Until now. It was my first day of Genin training. I had graduated from Academy last Tuesday. Only three days after turning thirteen.

I got up from my bed, shutting off the alarm that never got the chance to ring. I stepped out of my black pajama shorts and slid off my navy blue muscle shirt before stepping into the hot shower. The heat didn't bother me. It made me wonder if I was meant to do fire jutsu.

When I finally stepped out, I put on a pair of loose, knee length black shorts with several pockets, and a purple tee shirt. Over that, I slid on a loose fitting half jacket, with short sleeves. It was dark blue with green trim, and had plenty of inner pockets for me to hide things in. Currently, my jacket pockets were empty, but my shorts had several things inside their pockets. Most necessary for my training. I hadn't the money to get a tool pouch, so I wore shorts with pockets instead.

I wiped off the steamy mirror and stared at my own midnight blue eyes. My short, lilac hair was barely down to the bottom of my ears. Choppy bangs hung to just a little above my eyebrows, and a long strip of hair on either side right in front of my ears framed my face, at chin length.

My hairstyle resembled another new Genin's, Hinata. But mine was more edgy and mischievous where hers was meant to help her hide her shy self.

"Alright, Ayami. Time to meet your new team and new Sensei."

I stopped at the fridge to grab an orange and a juice box, before running out the door. Niyana Sensei had instructed our team to meet at our new training grounds in the woods.

I was two minutes late, but neither of my teammates nor Niyana Sensei seemed to have arrived yet. I was waiting at least ten minutes before a boy showed up. He was kind of scrawny for a thirteen year old, and was wearing red shorts like mine, along with an orange tee shirt. He had black hair and brown eyes. I noticed, he, unlike me, had a tool pouch, and a weapon on his back. He was already specializing. His headband was tied around his leg. I wore mine on my arm.

"Hey," he said, looking me over.

I said nothing.

"I'm Trigyoko. What's your name?"

"Ayami."

"Do you specialize in anything yet?"

"Does it look like I do?"

"No. What kind of jutsu do you use?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have any special abilities?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

"I'm an orphan."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said, genuinely looking apologetic.

"Trigyoko, right? Sorry for seeming kind of...put off. I'm nervous."

"Hey, no problem. I'm nervous too."

"Hello?" a timid voice called. I turned to see another boy. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He was on the taller side, and seemed more muscular than Trigyoko. Which was strange, considereing how timid he seemed. He was wearing plain black shorts, and a green tee shirt. His headband was on his head. He didn't appear to have any weapons, tools, or the like, but that meant nothing in the Shinobi world.

"Hi."

"Hey!" Trigyoko called back.

"Uh, I'm Miyugi."

"Trigyoko," he said, offering his hand.

They shook. I leaned against a tree and watched them.

"What's your name?" Miyugi asked.

"Ayami."

"Any special abilities?"

"I don't know."

"Jutsu type?"

"I don't know."

Miyugi's brow furrowed, his expression clearly reading that he didn't understand. He opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it quickly when a woman with long red hair in a ponytail and crimson eyes dropped from the tree I was leaning against into our little group.

"Morning kiddos. I'm guessing you've all three learned each others' names, yes?"

We nodded.

"Good. I am Niyana Deshafora, your new Sensei. I want each of you to tell me your name and tell me your greatest strength right now."

"I'm Trigyoko, Sensei," he said, stepping forward. "My greatest ability is chakra control."

Niyana Sensei nodded, and Miyugi stepped up.

"My name is Miyugi, and I'm best at taijutsu."

Niyana Sensei nodded again.

"I'm Ayami Mitsuki. I'm not particularly good at anything, so far."

Niyana Sensei seemed confused by this until she recognized my name.

"Well, I'd say we have a lot of training to do if you three want any missions. First, I want to see if we can't figure out some of your particular skills, Ayami."

"Ok..."


	3. Discovering Ayami's Abilities

_What could she possibly mean by that?_

"You will go against your new teammates in order to hopefully discover one of what I think will end up being many talents. This will also allow me to see each of your combat styles."

Trigyoko and Miyugi looked at each other once, then vanished. I yawned, leaning against the tree again, being careful to keep it at my back and make sure I was covered. Now they'd only be able to come from the sides or front.

A paper bomb landed two feet short of me, and I rolled my eyes. I jumped into the tree branches above me. The bomb exploded beneath me, doing little but annoying me. As the smoke cleared, I could see Trigyoko searching the small area for me.

I threw a kunai that trapped Trigyoko in his place by his sandle. His head turned around in search of me, but he didn't look up. I didn't reveal myself yet. I was looking for Miyugi.

"Fire Style: Dragon's Breath!"

I jumped out of the tree just in time, because Miyugi blasted it with fire.

"Wind Style: Vortex Trap," I whispered as I completed some hand signs. When I turned around, Miyugi's body was trapped from the waist down in swirling winds.

"Earth Style: Earth Spire!"

The earth below me began to quake from Trigyoko's jutsu. The next thing I did, I did on instinct.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Shield!"

My voice sounded sure as my hands completed signs my mind didn't know. The ground below me stopped shaking as the crackling energy around me faded. I looked below my feet to see a small area of rock that had risen only slightly. I must have burned the rest away.

Looking back at Trigyoko and Miyugi, both of their jaws were dropped, and Miyugi was still trapped in his vortex. Trigyoko had freed his leg from my kunai. As I looked between the two of them, a grin spread over his face, and he charged me.

He threw my kunai back at me, but I dodged, dropping into a crouch. As Trigyoko came upon me, I kicked him in the gut, sending him sprawling a few feet away.

The trap I'd had Miyugi in had ended, and he came at me. We went against each other in taijutsu, him trying to get past me, and me just waiting for the right moment to strike.

_Now!_

As Miyugi struck with his left arm towards my right, I got my left in and hit him in a pressure point along his ribs.

"Ah!" we cried in unison. My right arm was useless, numb. Miyugi fell back, curling in a ball and gripping his side.

Trigyoko was back up, and was about to come at me again, when Niyana Sensei called, "Enough. That will do for now. I have only seen some of your abilities, but I want to talk to you."

Trigyoko, Miyugi, and I made a half circle around Niyana Sensei, who was leaning against the remains of the burned tree.

"Alright, just basing off of what I saw in those ten minutes, we have a well rounded team that's full of potential. Congratulations, you are all officially part of team fourteen."

The three of us cheered, giving each other high fives.

"Now, I want to say something about what you three just did. Miyugi, great job on sneaking up on Ayami from behind. But, Ayami heard you yell. This alerted her, and your attack failed. Try to keep your jutsu to yourself. Trigyoko, good job on not giving up. Each time Ayami knocked you down, you got back up. But, if you'd freed yourself from the kunai quicker, you could have helped Miyugi more. Both of you, you're part of a team. Start acting like it. And Ayami. Your jutsu were fantastic. Where did you learn wind and lightning jutsu?"

"The hand signs for the wind jutsu I used were taught to me by a friend when I was very young. He told me to use it if I was ever in trouble. In case I never actually became a ninja."

"Ah, so this was before you met the Hokage."

"Yes. And I'm not sure on the lightning jutsu. It just felt natural. I didn't really know what I was doing."

"Well, I believe we have found your jutsu types."

"Jutsu types? You can have more than one?"

"Some very strong ninja specialize in more than one jutsu type, yes. Now, I want to see if we can get you to make those hand signs for the lightning jutsu you did again. That way I can teach them to you and you'll be able to remember them."

"I was protecting myself from the jutsu Trigyoko used because I didn't have time to dodge. I only remember doing two signs to make the shield."

"Well, get ready to protect yourself again, Ayami."

Niyana Sensei made quick hands signs, and I couldn't catch one, but I recognized the way she held her hand to her mouth. Dragon's Breath.

Again, the feeling of instinct came to me, and I whispered, "Lightning Style: Lightning Shield," creating two hand signs. An orb of lightning surrounded me, protecting me from Niyana Sensei's jutsu. When the orb faded, Miyugi and Trigyoko seemed awestruck by the jutsu all over again.

"Alright, I see what you did."

She showed me the general hand sign for lightning, then for shield. She had me try it by the tree. The others backed away some.

The result was a shield shaped lightning form cast out in front of me, destroying what remained of the tree.

"Hmm. Wait, try this!"

She showed me both hand signs again, but after making the shield sign, she spun her finger before shooting both her hands out around her.

I tried to create the orb of lightning again, and this time, it appeared. I was surrounded by lightning, even under my feet, I suspected.

"There you have it. Your jutsu has been recreated. I wonder...if we experiment with this enough, will we find that you know other wind and lightning jutsu that you didn't know you knew?"

"It's not impossible. I don't remember anything from before I was ten. I only know my birthday because of the Hokage."

"When is your birthday?" Miyugi asked.

"November seventh. I've never really celebrated it though, being at the orphanage and all..."

"You live at the orphanage, even though you're a ninja?" Niyana Sensei asked.

"Yes. I don't have enough money to afford to live on my own, and I don't even know who my parents are."

"How do you know your last name?"

"When the Hokage was checking my chakra to see if I could become a ninja, he also looked around a bit in the memories the my brain locked away. All he would say about them was that I had a painful past."

"I see...well, it's June. You'll be celebrating your birthday this year."

Niyana Sensei and my teammates grinned at me. I smiled back, and even though my eyes didn't give me away, I knew it wouldn't be the same. I was still alone. The only time I'd ever felt like I wasn't alone was my first week here, when a boy had come to visit me everyday in the hospital. He'd been my first, and so far only, true friend.

"Since it is now about noon, who would like to get something to eat?"

The boys raised their hands, and I nodded.

"Good. I'll go grab some lunch. You guys hang here."

As Niyana Sensei walked away, I thought I saw a mischievous kind of smirk on her face.

"So, do you know where you originally came from, Ayami?" Trigyoko asked.

"No. I only know I'm not from Konoha."

"How did you get here?" Miyugi continued questioning me.

"I only remember the end of my journey. A storm caused me to be knocked unconscious, and I woke up in the hospital here."

Both boys thought about this for a while. Long enough for Niyana Sensei to return.

"Now, if you want to eat..."

We all three looked at her as the smirk I'd spotted earlier reappeared.

"You have to get through me."


	4. Chaos

"Taking a page out of Kakashi Sensei's book, Niyana Sensei?" a blond haired boy asked. He was standing at the edge of our training field. I remembered this boy from Academy. He was always so aggravating.

_What was his name, again? Naruko? Nomuto? Something like that?_

"Indeed I am, Naruto."

_Naruto! That's right!_

"Think they're up for it?"

"Why don't you bring the rest of your team to watch? I always appreciate Kakashi's advice."

"Sure. Be right back!"

When Naruto returned, he had a girl, another boy, and his Sensei with him.

"Team fourteen, meet team seven, lead by Kakashi Sensei. His students are Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura."

The adults walked away to talk, so my team was left with Naruto's.

"Is there some kind of thing where every girl has to be on a team with two boys?" Sakura asked.

No one had an answer.

"Hi, I'm Naruto," Naruto said, offering his hand to Miyugi.

"I'm Miyugi." The two of them also walked off together.

If I get paired with Sakura, I'll scream my head off.

"I'm Sakura," she said, offering her hand about midway between Trigyoko and I. Trigyoko saved me.

"My name is Trigyoko. Pleased to meet you."

They wandered off. Which left me with Sasuke. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

"I won't bother telling you my name. You probably already know who I am and what I can do," he said with a smirk.

_Full of yourself, much?_

"All I know about you is your first name. Sasuke. What else should I know?"

Sasuke seemed somewhat surprised, but gave me a real smile. "Well, most girls know me too well for comfort. Or, at least, they think they know me. You're the first girl I've met that hasn't liked a different boy and not fallen at my feet."

"Why would I fall at your feet?"

"Obviously, you wouldn't. You're different. I like it."

"Is this you trying to make me fall at your feet? Because your failing."

"No. This is me...wanting my first real friend."

He smiled again and offered me his hand.

"So, will you be my friend?"

"Just a friend, right?"

"Yeah. Just a friend." The smirk was back.

"Then, gladly. It's nice to have more than one friend. Then again, I doubt my one friend even remembers me anymore. Which would make you my only friend."

"Who's your other friend?"

"You wouldn't know him, unless you've been to Suna."

Sasuke shrugged.

"Can't say I have. When did you last see them?"

"Three years ago, when I first came here."

"Oh, that's right. I remember your name now. You're Ayami, the orphan girl that arrived here unconscious with the Kazekage and his children, after that storm."

"Yeah. What of it?" I challenged.

"Nothing. So, which of the Kazekage's children became your friend?"

"A boy. Kankuro."

Sasuke nodded, but didn't say anything. Sakura, Naruto, Trigyoko, and Miyugi joined us again.

"Hey Sasuke, did you like talking to Ayami?" Sakura asked. I knew she was trying to see if he liked me.

"Whatever," he said in a cold monotone. Funny, he hadn't spoken that way to me.

Sakura frowned at his lack of a real answer.

"Well, why don't we split again? I want to talk to Miyugi this time."

"I call Ayami!" Naruto yelled. Jeez, he was a loud kid.

"I guess I'm with you then, huh?" Trigyoko said, turning to Sasuke.

I didn't hear Sasuke's reply because Naruto dragged me away.

"So, Ayami, bet you think Sasuke is a total jerk, don't you?"

"No, he isn't."

"Do you like him, like Sakura?"

"No. He's my only friend."

"Aren't I your friend? Or at least your teammates?"

"Today is the first time I've talked to you, or my teammates. Or Sasuke, for that matter. But, he seems to understand me. Maybe because he understands what it's like to lose everything. But he's lucky. He knows how it happened, how he ended in his situation. Me, I don't remember anything before the storm."

"Well, I won't pretend I understand Sasuke, because I don't. But, I think, on some level, Sasuke just wants someone like him, that he can relate to."

"I'm not sure I'm the best choice to be anyone's friend. I've never been good at making friends. At least, not that I can remember."

"Well, Sasuke seems to like you, and Sasuke doesn't like anybody. I'd say you're doing pretty well. Especially when you add in that I like you." He grinned at me.

"Well, you've already changed a lot since you first started at Academy. I used to think you were so annoying. But, you're not bad, Naruto."

"Huh? Really? You really think that? That I've changed since Academy?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks Ayami!" he said, giving me a hug. It surprised me, and I didn't hug him back before he let go.

At that point, Sakura was yelling for us, and Naruto was running back to the rest of our teams. I followed slowly.

"You alright, Ayami?" Naruto asked, coming back to me when he noticed my pace.

"What? Oh, I'm fine."

"Hey Ayami, will you be my friend, too?"

I stared at the blonde for a moment, before the smallest of smiles creeped over my face.

"Yes, Naruto. I will be your friend."

"That's awesome!"

We rejoined the others, and Sakura's iron grip on my arm dragged me away before anyone said a word.

"Stay away from Sasuke," she hissed.

"What do you mean? He's my friend."

"Sure. And you'll use that to your advantage, won't you?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, exasperated.

"You like Sasuke, don't you?"

"Not the same way you do."

"Who do you like then?"

"I don't have a crush on any boys."

"Do you like girls?" Sakura whispered.

"What? No! I just don't have a crush on anyone."

"How can you not?"

"Because I'm not like you and the other girls."

"Oh yeah? What makes you so special, huh?"

"I don't know. But so far, four people have seen something in me, and if they can believe I'm something, I can, too."

"Who's said that?"

"Naruto, Sasuke, Niyana Sensei, and a boy you wouldn't know."

"Aw, come on, tell me."

"His name is Kankuro."

Sakura's brow furrowed while she thought about the name.

"Nope. I don't know a Kankuro."

Sakura stopped me and looked closely at my eyes. I felt uncomfortable with her staring at me.

"Hmm...oh, wow!"

"What?" I asked, kind of panicky.

"Nothing..." she said with a small grin.

"What did you see?"

"Something you'll learn soon, I think."

Naruto began calling for us, and Sakura said, "Race ya!"

I took off for the others. When I reached them, they all stared at me.

"What?"

Trigyoko pointed a finger behind me, and I saw Sakura a very long distance off, and along the path I'd taken back to the others, was a trail of blackened dirt. It lead right up to my feet.

"What happened?"

"I think you moved really fast, kind of like lightning. First, you were way over by Sakura, and then you started glowing kind of blue and sparky, and then you were in front of us," Miyugi explained.

"No way...no ninja moves that fast. Not even a legendary Sannin can move that fast."

"Something about you, between the wind and lightning jutsu, and your somewhat chaotic nature, I think you can. There's just something about you that makes you able to use and hone both of those jutsu types," Sasuke said in his monotone.

"Are they normally very difficult to control?"

"Yes. Which is why you see so few ninja that use lightning jutsu, at least. Wind jutsu is more common, but you have to be very good," Trigyoko explained.

"But...I don't even remember learning lightning jutsu, and I can't think of any other wind jutsu that I might know."

"But the ones you do know, they're extrememly powerful, beyond what a normal Genin could do," Niyana Sensei said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I soun, not having heard her or Kakashi Sensei behind me.

"Now, again, if you three want to eat, you have to earn it."

Niyana Sensei leaped backwards, towards the charred area where the tree was now missing.

Miyugi, Trigyoko, and I looked between each other.

Alright, Sensei. Game on!

We charged towrads her, and I created the hand signs I'd used earlier.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Force."

The shield form charged out from my hands again, racing towards our Sensei. She seemed surprised that I had used the new technique we had stumbled across. Still, she managed to dodge around the attack.

"Earth Style: Earth Spire," Trigyoko whispered beside me.

The ground rumbled slightly, before a jut of rock shot out right next to Niyana Sensei's feet. While she was off balance, Miyugi used one of his jutsu.

"Fire Style: Fireball."

A ball of flame appeared in his hand, and he tossed it at Niyana Sensei. She leapt off the spire Trigyoko had created to dodge it.

"Alright. You all are gonna actually put up a fight, huh?"

Niyana Sensei grinned, and I saw her grab some kunai.

"Look out!" I leapt at my teammates, tackling each of them. Three kunai whizzed over our heads.

"How did you see that? I didn't even know she'd drawn anything."

"No time. Just focus!"

We got up, and circled around our Sensei.

"Wind Style: Vortex Trap," I whispered. Wind immediately surrounded Sensei, but the popping sound and poof of smoke alerted me that Niyana Sensei had used a clone. I quickly thought back along our attacks, and turned to Trigyoko's spire, looking up. Niyana Sensei kneeled on one knee at the top, watching us.

"Ah hah. Seems one of you figured it out," she said, the laugh in her voice not making fun of us, but seeming to be proud of us.

I grinned.

"Hey, Miyugi, think you've got enough of a throw to toss some fire up there?"

Miyugi turned and followed my gaze before a grin sprad across his face as well.

"Yeah. I can spin something up. Fire Style: Fire Column!"

Flame erupted all alng the spire, and higher where our Sensei stood. Niyana Sensei was forced to leap down.

"Alright, you. You win. Several Jounin I know couldn't have evaded some of those attacks."

"Yeah!" Miyugi shouted.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. I never said you all three were done. I said you, as in one. Ayami, catch."

I caught the cloth wrapped, small package. I didn't open it yet, I just slipped it into a jacket pocket. I thought I knew what was coming next.

"And, if you two get desperate, you could always try to get Ayami's off her. Although, I'm not sure she'll be much easier than me to get past. Other than that, you're free to eat, Ayami."

Trigyoko turned towards me, smirking.

"You know this is a test, right?"

"If you only just figured that out, you're very slow."

Trigyoko seemed surprised. I ignored the look.

"Wind Style: Vortex Trap," I whispered. This time, Niyana Sensei wasn't a clone. She was trapped.

"Earth Style: Earthen Fist!"

Trigyoko's arm grew and turned into a rock. He smacked it down towards Niyana Sensei. She took the hit.

When the trap and dust cleared, Trigyoko and I ran in to the area. Niyana Sensei was slowly getting up. She looked mostly fine, except for a cut above her eye and the dirt that covered her.

"Brilliant job, the both of you. Ayami, good, you didn't turn on your teammates, nor abandon them for your own gain. You helped them even when your necessary part was done. Trigyoko, good job as well. You used the jutsu Ayami used to build on, and got a hit on me. Catch," Niyana Sensei said, tossing Trigyoko a package like the one she'd given me.

"Alright team, one more lunch to take. Let's do it!" I yelled. When I glanced at team seven, they all seemed surprised by my voice.

"Fire Style: Fire Circle Trap."

A ring of fire blazed around Niyana Sensei. Miyugi leapt into the ring, getting close. They engaged in taijutsu. Niyana Sensei got a good kick in, and Miyugi flew out of the ring.

"Rely on the help of the team, Miyugi. You can't defeat her alone!"

"Alright, well, do something!"

Niyana Sensei jumped off a tree in the ring so she could jump over the fire. The fire rose to meet her, and she let herself drop.

"Interesting ability, but I'm assuming it eats at your chakra as long as it blazes. How long can you hold it up?"

"As long as I need to help my team," he said. His face was determined.

"Alright, so, my guess is she can't get out until the jutsu ends. Can anyone but you get in?"

"Only someone who can tolerate a lot of heat. Or with a shield that completely surrounds them and they can walk in."

"Alright...Trigyoko, stay out here. Try and give me support any way you can. Miyugi, rest, and keep that ring up as long as you can. If the fire drops, keep her busy with taijutsu, and Trigyoko and I will do the best we can to give you an advantage."

Miyugi sat against a tree a short ways off, watching Niyana Sensei in the ring. Trigyoko circled around the outside of the fire, watching our Sensei as well. I walked in.

The flames didn't bother me. They didn't hurt. If felt similar to my shower this morning. Lightning must be a lot warmer than fire.

"Heeya!" Sensei cried.

I didn't think, I did.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Shield!" The shield formed around me, but my hands didn't stop. Neither did my mouth. "Wind Style: Roaring Gales!"

Niyana's windmill shuriken smacked into my crackling shield and drops to the ground, charged with the electricity. As I watch her, she begins fighting against huge winds like the ones I'd faced during the storm. Still, I wasn't done.

"Wind Style: Swirling Winds!"

The wind that was already there began to churn, faster and faster. It was pulling in the ring of fire, and turned into a rotating column of death.

"What have you created, Ayami?!" Niyana Sensei cried as she fought against the fiery tornado, trying to make her way towards me.

My hands fell to my sides and my mouth closed. I blinked a couple of times, really taking in the scene before me.

_What have I done?_

Suddenly, Kakashi Sensei was there, pulling Niyana Sensei away from the tornado quickly nearing her. I vaguely saw Sakura lead Triyoko away, and Naruto and Sasuke both had to work to forcibly take away Miyugi, who was trying to get to me.

Naruto pointed and yelled something I couldn't hear to Sasuke, and Sasuke let go of Miyugi, running back in for me. I waved my arms, telling him not to, but he didn't notice or didn't care. I got sucked into the funnel.

The fire and wind didn't disturb me. But as I rose higher and higher from the ground below, and as the tornado moved, I worried about the damage it would cause to the woods, and possibly the village. I worried at what I had done. I worried about what would happen when I was tossed out.

"Ayami!" a voice shouted. I managed to flip myself over and see Sasuke also rolling up in the winds and fire.

"Sasuke! I told you not to follow me!"

"You're my only friend. I had to go against what you said."

I flipped again, so I could watch how close we were to the top. We were getting close now.

"Ayami, take my hand!"

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Sasuke close behind me, reaching out to me. I reached back and grabbed his hand. Then, we were tossed out of the funnel.


	5. Jinchuuriki

We were falling. Sasuke didn't let go, but his eyes were closed. He looked...almost at peace. We were still over the woods somewhere.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anything when we hit. Then I changed my mind. I turned mine and Sasuke's backs to the ground, and I stared up at the cloudy sky. I felt like I was flying. I was glad I wasn't alone.

I glanced over Sasuke quickly. He hadn't been burned, either. He looked fine.

I started seeing treetops, and I closed my eyes.

When I came to, I couldn't see. My body ached all over.

"Ayami? Ayami? Ayami!"

I moaned.

"Where are we?"

"The hospital. Can't you tell?"

"No. I can't see anything."

"Your eyes are open. They look like normal. Really dark blue."

"It's you, isn't it, Sasuke?"

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. And don't worry, the tornado didn't do any harm, except to us."

"You didn't break anything?"

"No. Kakashi caught me. Niyana caught you, but barely. Your head hit the ground a little."

"Can you go get someone to test my vision, or the Hokage, to read my head? I want to know if my blindedness is permanent."

"Yeah. Yeah, no problem. I'll go get him."

The sound of the door opening and closing seemed final. I didn't like it.

I fell asleep, fitfully. I couldn't take the boredom.

"Ayami, Ayami, wake up. The Hokage is here." The voice wasn't Sasuke's, but triggered the image of a blonde headed boy.

_N...Nar...Naruto?_

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, it's me Ayami. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to come back. He's too upset about what happened to you. Can you really not see anything?"

"Nothing. All I see is black."

"Hush, child," a different voice said.

I stayed quiet.

"Your vision will return to you within a couple of weeks. Until then, you will stay here. I will have a dummy or two brought here so you may keep your strength up."

"Is everyone alright?"

"You are the only one who sustained injury from the tornado."

I sighed with relief. Nothing bad had happened. Everyone was safe.

"Is Niyana Sensei and the rest of my team here?"

"Yes. They were worried for you. Would you like me to send them in?"

"Please. Thank you very much, Hokage, sir."

"Have you been having any strange dreams, Ayami?"

The man with yellow eyes and long, dark hair flashed through my mind.

"No. Why?"

"I thought you might have discovered something of your past by now, and things often come in dreams."

"No. I haven't seen anything."

_I don't trust a word of what that man says._

"Well. I shall see you when you are healed."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No. Don't fear. Your Sensei has...discovered something unusual about you."

What was, I'm sure, a confused look crossed my face.

The door opened and closed again.

"Naruto?"

"Still here, Ayami."

"Is everyone mad at me?"

"I'm not mad. Neither is Sasuke. I think everyone is mostly just worried."

"Sensei and my team must hate me."

"I doubt it. You're too likeable."

"No I'm not. I'm too much like Sasuke."

"Sakura must love you then."

I laughed. The thought...

"Hey, that's awesome. I got you to laugh." I could hear the smile in Naruto's voice.

"Yeah."

The door opened and closed again.

"Ayami, are you alright?" Niyana Sensei asked.

"Yes. The Hokage said that my vision would be fine within a few weeks."

"But you must reamain here?"

I nodded.

"I'm really sorry Sensei. I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm not sure I was even in control of myself..."

"You weren't."

"What?!" Everyone in the room cried at once.

"Naruto, would you please step out a moment? This is something for our team's ears alone, for now. If Ayami wishes to tell you later, she may."

"Yes, Niyana Sensei."

He left. I didn't get the feeling my team was about to start yelling at me though. I heard wood scraping on tile, and someone took my hand. I was glad for it. It made me feel grounded.

"You have something inside of you. Something evil, dark. But it isn't you."

"Are you saying...I'm a Jinchuuriki, like Naruto?"

"It's possible that there is a tailed beast we did not know of previously within you. Do you have any strange marks on you?"

Again, I thought of the evil man, and my last dream of him. But he hadn't marked me. The only other thing I could think of was...

"I have this thing, on my ankle."

I sat up and reached for my foot. It took me a couple of tries, since I was relying on touch and knowing where my body was, but I found my foot. I pulled off my boot, and my sock.

"It looks like a tattoo."

The image was like chains, wrapping around my ankle, then it shot down to the bottom edge of my foot. There, it just...stopped.

"Niyana Sensei, the Hokage thought you and you're team should know. Sasuke Uchiha has left the village. A note was found in his house. He's going to Suna," a male voice said upon bursting into the room.

"What business could Sasuke have in Suna?"

"He only said it was for a friend, not him."

"What is going through that boy's mind?" Niyana Sensei muttered.

"Um, Sensei, Naruto has just run out of the hospital."

"Well, what are you thinking? You're a Chunin. Stop him!"

The man ran down the hallway. I heard the front door slam behind him.

"Do you know what Sasuke might ge doing, Ayami? He seems to like you quite a bit," Niyana Sensei said.

Part of the conversation I had with Sasuke earlier stuck out.

_"Who's your other friend?"_

_"You wouldn't know him, unless you've been to Suna."_

_Sasuke shrugged._

_"Can't say I have. When did you last see them?"_

_"Three years ago, when I first came here."_

_"Oh, that's right. I remember your name now. You're Ayami, the orphan girl that arrived here unconscious with the Kazekage and his children, after that storm."_

_"Yeah. What of it?" I challenged._

_"Nothing. So, which of the Kazekage's children became your friend?"_

_"A boy. Kankuro."_

"Oh no! I think I know why Sasuke is going to Suna. Help me up."

"Surely you aren't thinking of following him?"

"I have to. I doubt he'll listen to anyone else right now."

I was lifted out of the bed and put on someone's back.

"Don't forget my sock and boot."

"We'll discuss this more later," Niyana Sensei said behind me. Who was carrying me?

"Hold on tight," Miyugi said. His voice was almost directly in my ear, which meant he must have been carrying me.

The motion beneath me was strange since it wasn't my own feet carrying me. I was glad to have a tall, strong guy like Miyugi on our team right now.

I felt the sun on my back and face, and a small amount of light invaded the darkness. I couldn't see anything still, but the blackness was now more of a dark grey.

We were jumping through trees sooner than I would have thought. I wondered how far ahead of us Sasuke was.

"Let me go!" I heard Naruto yell.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"The Chunin from earlier caught Naruto," Miyugi murmured back.

"Kakashi Sensei! Sakura! We have to go after Sasuke!"

"Tolyb, release Naruto. We all must go after our missing team member," Kakashi said.

"As you wish, Sensei."

I heard Tolyb jumping through the trees behind us. Then Naruto and his team joined us.

"It isn't necessary for you and your team to come along, Niyana."

"I don't think Sasuke is going to listen to anyone but my girl right now, and we work as a team. We're coming."

"Did you already discuss my suspicions with her?"

"You can tell her when we make camp. We have to see if we can catch Sasuke before he gets too far."

"Let's go."

And we were jumping through trees again.

After what felt like a couple of hours, I asked Miyugi, "Are you alright? You're not tired?"

"Nah. You're really light, and I'm used to this kind of thing. I carry my older sister around sometimes, especially when she's sick."

"Ok. If you need a break, tell someone."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"It's my job to worry. We're on a team."

I could hear his grin. "It's nice to hear you say that, Ayami. I was worried you would freak out about what you'd accidently done, and try dropping out of the ninja training program."

"I am scared Miyugi. I'm very scared." I shivered, even in the warm sun that filtered through the leaves.

"Don't worry. Trigyoko, Niyana Sensei, and I are here to help you. We'll help you learn to control...whatever it is that's inside you."

"Thank you, Miyugi. It means a lot."

After a while, another thought occured to me.

"Miyugi, are you and Trigyoko...are you guys scared of me?"

"Of course not. It isn't you're fault that something has been put inside you. If we stayed away from you because we were scared, we'd be as bad as everyone else who treated Naruto bad when he was little. Just because he's a Jinchuuriki."

"Don't worry, Ayami. I don't know about Sakura, but Sasuke, Kakashi Sensei, and I aren't scared of you, either," Naruto added.

"Hey, I'm not scared of her!" Sakura yelled. I could hear the thump as she hit Naruto.

I giggled, and I could just imagine the others smiling, glad that I was cheered up some.

When it was what I assumed was night, we stopped inside something that seemed like a cave. The ground was rock, and our steps seemed to echo some.

"I will get wood for a fire," Niyana Sensei said.

"I will check Ayami's progress in healing," Kakashi said. "Set her down, Miyugi."

I was put down, and started freaking out a bit. I was scared I really was alone. Not just lonely in a village of people, but completely alone. I felt more lost now than ever.

"Ayami, it's alright. We're all still here," Sakura said, catching my arms. She lay me back, putting my head in someone's lap.

"Trigyoko is right behind you, your legs are on Naruto, and Miyugi is gonna hold one hand. I'm going to hold your other. Just calm down. It's alright."

I relaxed with the feeling of people around me. Sakura's voice was soothing.

"You are recovering quickly. This just helps to confirm that there may be a tailed beast inside you. Most people would be blind permanently, but if your vision continues repairing at this rate, by the time we reach Suna, you should be able to at least see shapes, outlines. You may even see some color."

"When will my vision be repaired completely?"

"Before we get back to Konoha."

"Will I be training again soon?"

"First we have to find the seal that holds the beast inside you. We must make sure it isn't broken. That may be part of the reason you lost control."

"Is there a way to tell if I've lost control?"

"Yes. It is what made me recognize when things were about to go very wrong. Your eyes change colors when you lose control of the beast. They become a milky light blue, as if you really were blind. This is why you saw everything, but you didn't really see it, didn't really feel it."

"Is there a way to learn what's inside me?"

"There are many. Several are painful or dangerous. However, if we could learn where you are originally from, the leader of the ninja village there would have a record of what is inside you."

"How do we know I'm from a ninja village at all?"

"Because you learned these jutsu at some point. You may not remember learning them, but obviously the beast does. I recommend you don't experiment any further in what you can possibly do until we know you are in control, or in a controlled environment where we know no harm will come to you or others."

"Can't you look in my head to identify what beast is inside me?"

"No. Like with all Jinchuuriki, that part of your mind is closed to anyone but you. I believe this is also why you don't remember your years before you were ten. In a way, the beast is trying to protect you. But, Ayami, you must understand, even though you can reach it, you should not go looking for the beast inside. Now it is my turn to ask you a question. Why do you think Sasuke is going to Suna?"

"He's going...because of me. I told him about a friend I made when I first got to Konoha. One of the Kazekage's sons, Kankuro. I haven't seen him since a week after the storm I was found after, because he had to go back to Suna."

"What does this have to do with Sasuke?"

"I think Sasuke is going to Suna to find Kankuro and bring him back to see me. In his own way, Sasuke is trying to be a good friend."

"He's being reckless."

"We're all being reckless," Niyana Sensei said. I heard wood clatter on the rocks. The panic rose again some when everyone stopped talking and the only sound was the crackling of a new fire.

"It's alright, it's alright! Ayami, stop panicking. We're still here!"

"I'm going to put her to sleep. She may have bad dreams, but she won't be moving to far."

"No! No, don't! Please," I begged.

"If I don't, you may get scared and wander off by mistake."

"If you do, I'll see...things. Terrible things."

"You must get past what you normally see in your dreams if you wish to unlock your past."

My face must have betrayed my emptions.

"Yes, the Hokage, your Sensei, and I know what you see in your sleep."

"Then you understand. Don't, please," I begged.

"You have to discover your past, and the only way for you to unlock those memories is for you see them within your mind. I know you are scared, but you must push past what you normally see. What you see is only there because someone doesn't want you to know who you are. They are scared of you. Of your power."

"But what happens if-"

"Do not worry. Your Sensei, your team, my team, and I will make sure you stay safe."

I sighed, and I knew my face was probably displaying resignated worry.

"Sleep..."

My mind opened.


	6. The Day She Was Taken

_"Hello again, sweet, little Ayami."_

_"Go away. I don't have time for your pestering tonight."_

_The man's face stopped smiling. His eyes glared._

_"You belong to me, Ayami. You will never unlock your past. I won't allow it."_

_"Fine then. Let's start with you. Who are you?"_

_"This is the first time you have said a word when I have spoken to you. Why speak out now?"_

_"Because someone did something to me, before I was ten. I need to know what. You've been talkg to me ever since I can remember. Who are you?"_

_"My name is Orochimaru."_

_"What do you want?"_

_"It's not what I want that matters. What matters is what you want, Ayami. What do you want? Power? Wealth? To be, as children say, popular?"_

_"No. I don't want anything from you."_

_"But all you would have do is ask. It would be so easy," he hissed._

_"I told you earlier. I don't have time for this. Leave."_

_"As you wish, Ayami. But, as I've told you before. Eventually, you will come to me."_

_The man vanished, along with the completely blank, white world that he always appeared in._

_The world was given color, and I saw myself, in a place that wasn't Konoha. I saw mountains, and the sky was dark with clouds out a window. I could smell a lot of salt water. It was the start of a normal day for me._

_I was sitting in at a table in a dining room. It was a very large room, leading me to believe the house belonged to a very wealthy family._

_A servant came in, carrying a tray. It was heaped with waffles, pancakes, eggs, sausage links, and two cheesy biscuits._

_"Here you are, young Mistress Ayami."_

_"Are Father and Mother not coming to breakfast again?"_

_"They are both terribly sorry, but they got called to a mission."_

_"Would you eat with me, Sonna?"_

_"If you like, young Mistress."_

_"Sonna, why do you always call me your mistress, even after all these years?"_

_"It is customary that a servant call her overseers by title. You are the young Mistress of the house, and that is how I shall address you."_

_"But you're my only friend. You're more like a sister, and you're only two years older than me. You should just call me Ayami."_

_"I suppose I could discuss it with Master and Mistress Mitsuki."_

_"Good. Do you think it will rain today, Sonna?"_

_"It's supposed to, young Mistress."_

_"Sonna, why are you my only friend? Why do the other kids run away from me, and cross the street when I come towards them?"_

_"You are special, young Mistress. The other children fear your powers."_

_"What powers? Most of the other kids are ninja, too."_

_"Yes, but you are extra special. Your parents told me if you asked, I should tell you, so I shall."_

_"Tell me what?"_

_"Come, I will carry your breakfast. Let us go to the playroom."_

_I passed a mirror in the hall, and when I saw myself, I did a double take. I looked very young. Around seven. My hair and eyes were the same, but I was much shorter, and the lean muscle I had now was only beginning to show on my small frame._

_The playroom was covered in the posters, pictures, and toys of a child, confirming my youngness. I sat in a small chair that was the perfect size for me, and Sonna sat in a larger chair in front of me. This is how we always sat._

_"When you were first born our village was stuck under a never ending storm. Sometimes the rain went away, but there was always huge gusts of wind, and bright, flashing lightning followed by crashing thunder. One of the best ninja in the village, a man named Akizawa Aubrama, had been investigating the storm. He found a beast, hidden in the storm, controlling it, terrorizing our people. She called herself Choumei the Shichibi. Akizawa was able to capture the seven tailed demon, and brought it back to the village, the same day you were born. Akizawa feared the beast would find a way to free itself, and decided to create a Jinchuuriki, a human host the demon could be sealed inside. You were a newborn, and that is the time it is easiest to seal a demon into a host. Akizawa sealed Choumei in you, giving his own life to do so. Every day you control the beast is another day you save the village. Otoga is prosperous once again because of you and Akizawa."_

_"There's a demon in me?"_

_"Yes. A demon you control, and when you learn to, you can control some of it's power."_

_"So the other kids are scared of me?"_

_"Yes. But don't worry. You'll always have me. I do not fear you."_

_I hugged Sonna. We played the rest of the day. Nothing had changed between us._

I opened my eyes.


	7. Crush?

I woke up screaming.

"Ayami. Ayami, you're safe. It's fine. You're not there anymore, wherever you were."

I stopped screaming, noticing that everything was grey, with no form. I could feel someone with an arm around me, struggling to keep my arms down with their other. I was breathing heavily, and my body ached so much it hurt to move.

"Where am I?"

"We made camp in a cave. Most of the others have been up for a while now, but you woke Trigyoko when you first started screaming. Naruto and Niyana Sensei slept through it."

"Miyugi?"

"That's right. It's good that you recognize my voice already. How's your vision?"

"Everything is grey now."

"Better than black."

"Yes, much."

Memories since I'd woken flashed back through me. The orphanage, Academy, exams to become a Genin, meeting my team. The destruction Choumei tried to cause when I lost control.

"What did you see, in your sleep?"

"I need to talk to Niyana Sensei."

"She's still asleep."

"I will wake her," a different voice said. It also belonged to a boy. An image of a spiky haired, masked person came to mind. Kakashi Sensei.

"Hmm? What is it?" Niyana Sensei asked drowsily.

"Ayami would like to speak with you. She had a dream of her past last night."

"Alright. Could you make breakfast? And wake Naruto. We should be moving on as soon as possible. Sasuke is likely already moving."

"Of course."

"Give me a couple moments to finish waking up, Ayami."

The cave went silent. I realized Miyugi still had his arms around me to contain my flailing.

"Miyugi, you can let go now."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, sure," he said, releasing me. I could tell from his voice he was probably blushing and having a nervous fit.

I could also hear Niyana Sensei, Trigyoko, and someone else's laughter.

"Nice to see everyone is finally awake. We'll head out after breakfast," Kakashi said.

"So, Miyugi, were you cuddling with Ayami all night?" Naruto asked. I recognized it was his laughter I couldn't identify.

"No..." Miyugi muttered. He didn't sound very convincing.

"Were you?" I asked him quietly.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Ayami!"

"Niyana Sensei," I said, carefully standing.

"Can you see?"

"No, Sensei."

"That's alright. The whole team should hear this anyways. Miyugi, guide Ayami. Trigyoko, you come, too."

The sound of echoing footsteps ended, and the warmth of the sun touched me again. We were outside.

"What did you see, Ayami?"

"Well, it started like all my other dreams."

Niyana Sensei put a hand on my head and made me nod. She understood.

"After I got past that, I saw the day I left my village."

"You just got up and left?"

"I was eight. I had one of my dreams, and I when I woke up, I wasn't in my village anymore. I was barely still in my land, but I had no idea where my village was. I kept walking on the path my dream had set me on. It took me two years to get through the mountains and within sight of Konoha. The storm knocked me unconscious, and the Kazekage and his children found me."

"So you know what village you come from?"

"Yes. I come from Kumo, in the Land of Lightning."

"You walked from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Fire by yourself?"

"Yes."

"It's a miracle you're still alive," Niyana Sensei said, marvel in her voice.

"And, I figured out something else."

"You found out what beast lies inside you?"

"Yes. My body holds the seven tailed demon, Choumei the Shichibi."

"What?!" the boys yelled.

"So you really are a Jinchuuriki?" Miyugi asked.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Do you want to tell team seven?" Niyana Sensei asked.

"Something tells me even if I don't, Kakashi Sensei is going to find out anyways. And I definitely want to tell Naruto."

"Let's go back in then."

Miyugi guided me back to what I assumed was where we had been when I woke up. I explained my situation to Kakashi and his team.

"You all don't hate me? I know in some villages, Jinchuuriki are shunned, and grow up alone. Like in the Land of Lightning."

"Honestly, Ayami, if you tell anyone outside our village, they are likely to shun you. Most think that Jinchuurikis are the demons themselves," Kakashi Sensei said.

"I guess I shouldn't tell my Suna friend if we encounter him."

"No. But I can almost guarantee that we run into him. As son of the Kazekage, he will likely be present when we go to meet the Kazekage after entering the village."

"Speaking of, we've wasted a lot of time talking. Eat quickly. Then we must go," Niyana Sensei added.

Some kind of food on a stick was put in my hand. I took a bite and it tasted like strawberries. Someone else took a bite of my food.

"Miyugi!"

"What?" he asked. I could tell he was fighting a laugh.

I just sighed and took another bite. I didn't care right now. After finishing the strawberries, I was handed something else. It was kind of like chicken, but not.

"Kakashi Sensei, what am I eating?"

"Python. One tried to attack me, so I cooked it."

Sakura shrieked. "That is so gross. Why would you feed us that?"

"You liked it until I told you what it was."

I grinned before shrugging and taking another bite. With my vision out, I couldn't tell the difference.

"Gross," Sakura said. I heard her footsteps clack on the ground until she tripped over my legs.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ayami."

"I'm okay."

"Yeah. This girl is real tough, going through as much as she has," Miyugi said, putting around me to give me a squeeze before letting go to eat.

"Uh..."

I shrugged again, and Sakura's big, but soft, hand grabbed mine.

"I'm going to borrow Ayami for a second," Sakura said, pulling me up and leading me outside.

"Okay, what is with Miyugi? Do you two like each other?"

"What? He's my teammate and my friend."

"Well, I think he has a crush on you. Do you like anybody?"

"I told you before, no."

I took another bite of python.

"Ew! How can you eat that stuff?"

"It tastes like chicken, and I can't tell the difference right now. Plus, I'm hungry."

"Ugh." Sakura yanked me by the hand back into the cave.

"Still hungry, Ayami?" Niyana Sensei asked when I'd finished the python.

"A bit."

"Yeah, me, too!" Naruto yelled. His voice sounded absurdly loud in the cave.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, you two. It's the beasts making you so hungry."

"Still," Naruto and I said.

Someone sighed, then more footsteps. When the footsteps returned, I was handed more strawberries.

"That's better," Naruto and I said. I turned my head towards his voice. If I was looking at him, I was glaring.

"Ayami, it's kinda weird when you try to look at one of us and you just look through us," Naruto said.

I pulled my Leaf Ninja band off my arm and tied it around my head so it covered my eyes.

"Now I can't see your pretty eyes," Miyugi whispered in my ear. I felt heat rise in my cheeks, and I knew I was blushing now.

"Alright teams, let's go," Niyana Sensei said.

_Why did Miyugi say that?_

Miyugi carried me on his back again. I could tell because Trigyoko is shorter, and my feet felt as far off the ground as yesterday.

When we stopped for dinner, I ate quickly and silently. We didn't stop that night because we'd all slept so long.

"You can sleep, if you need to," Miyugi said. "I won't drop you."

"I'm too scared to sleep."

Miyugi didn't have a reply. We finally stopped around noon that day. We hadn't been jumping for a while now. It sounded more grainy beneath everyone's feet.

"Welcome to Sunagakure, teams," Kakashi said.

"Ayami, take off your band. See if you can see anything," Niyana Sensei instructed.

Miyugi set me down, and I pulled off the band. Everything seemed a yellowish color, except the blue sky. I could see the shapes of my teammates and team seven around me. Vague shapes, with vague color.

"Can you see forms or color?"

"The sky is blue. Everything else is kind of yellow. I can see your guys' shapes, and certain details. Naruto's eyes, Sakura's hair, Trigyoko's shirt."

"Good, good. Your vision is improving a bit faster than Kakashi thought."

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now, we knock," Kakashi Sensei said.


	8. Bijuu Talk and Secret Keeping

The enormous gate slowly creaked open.

"Who are you?"

I tied my arm band on and approached the gate.

"We are ninja of the leaf. We're here looking for a lost comrade."

"Yeah. We have him."

"Is he imprisoned?" Kakashi asked, behind my left shoulder.

"No. He is currently a guest in an empty apartment near the Kazekage's tower."

"May we come in to collect him?" Niyana Sensei asked.

"You may stay as guests for three days. Welcome to Suna."

The gate opened the rest of the way, and the man who'd been speaking walked back to his post beside the stairs to the top of the wall. Miyugi stayed close as we walked in.

"Just in case," he said.

"Alright team, the tallest building is going to be the Kazekage's tower. That is where we'll go first. They can tell us where Sasuke is, and we can see if Ayami's friend is here, by chance."

Naruto spotted the tower first, and began running in that direction. Sakura ran after him, and Kakashi was forced to run after both of them.

"Do you think you can run, Ayami, or do you need Miyugi to carry you again?"

"I can see enough to run. Just warn me if I'm about to run into someone."

"Sensei..." Trigyoko said, foreboding in his voice.

"Let's go, Miyugi."

We ran ahead. And then I was ahead. My vision came back in full color and form. I stopped beside the Kazekage's tower.

_"Hello, can you finally hear me?"_ a voice asked in my mind.

_"Who are you?"_

_"Choumei. Have you forgotten me, Ayami?"_

_"How long has it been since we spoke?"_

_"Five years. I missed your company. It's so sad in this empty hallway, and plain cell. You used to have it decorated for me, but I suppose when you stopped hearing me, everything you'd done for me was forgotten as well."_

_"Did we speak often before?"_

_"A few times. Mostly in your sleep. No one knew you spoke with me. I asked you not to tell."_

_"Were we close? I've heard Jichuuriki are more powerful the closer they are with their Bijuu."_

_"That is true. And we have never really had a chance to get to know each other before. Still, I like you. I've helped you, when I can."_

_"Why did you try to make me harm my team?"_

_"I apologize for that. If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried taking over and done what I did."_

_"You thought they were enemies?"_

_"I did. We hadn't spoken for long time, and you were in combat. This made me stir within you, and you were trying to think of a jutsu to use. I gave you one."_

_"Can you teach me, without harming others. Is there a way you can teach me to get back to the level I was at in a safe way?"_

_"Of course. If you were to visit me in your mind again, it would be easy. I can take your form within your mind, you know. It's like having a twin that was never really born."_

_"Kakashi says I shouldn't look for you. He says you're dangerous."_

_"I am no danger to you or ones you love. My wrath only reaches to your enemies, or my enemies."_

_"Who are your enemies?"_

_"Any who would harm you or try to remove me from you. As I said, I like you."_

"Ayami! I saw lightning flash past and I knew it was you. Did Choumei try to take over?"

_"That idea is absurd! I leave you in control when possible."_

"No. I'm just beginning to learn to use the abilities she gives me."

"Didn't Kakashi Sensei say it was dangerous for you to experiment like that?"

"I was only running. I can't help if she comes out of me when I do everyday things."

"Well...alright, I see your point."

"Thank you for understanding, Naruto."

"Shall we go in and see if your friend is here?"

"We'd better wait for Kakashi or Niyana Sensei to catch up."

"There's no need for that," a monotone voice said.

We both turned towards the door of the Kazekage a tower. A red haired, green eyed boy stood there. A gourd was on his back, an his eyes were ringed with black, as if he didn't sleep. I couldn't see any other details.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I am Gaara of the Desert."

"Are you allowed to invite us in?"

"I'm one of the Kazekage's sons. I believe I am."

Naruto and I looked at each other before approaching slowly.

"I can sense the power within you both. You are also Jinchuuriki?"

"We are. I have the nine tailed fox inside of me, and Ayami has the seven tailed demon, Choumei."

"I have the one tail, Shikkaku."

"Is that why you have the rings around your eyes?"

Gaara gave me the faintest of smiles.

"No, that comes from a lack of sleep. And I am not the only one afraid to sleep. Your eyes are beginning to darken as well."

Gaara's voice never differed from the monotone. But he turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open. Inviting us in.

Naruto walked in first, and I followed. Gaara led us up a few flights of stairs and stopped at a door.

"My father is in here. He can tell you where your comrade is staying."

Gaara turned to go back down the stairs, but I put a hand on his arm. He stopped, still as a rock.

"Wait, please. I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" he asked. He looked at me with scared eyes, like he was afraid I'd hurt him.

"I was wondering if your brother was here."

"My brother?"

"Kankuro."

"I know who you speak of, but why do you wish to see him?"

"Because I want to know if he remembers the girl you three saved. He visited me everyday for a week while you, your siblings, and your father were in Konoha. You three saved me."

Gaara's eyes narrowed, focusing on my eyes, my hair. His eyes looked over me. When his eyes met mine again, they seemed almost...friendly.

"I remember you. You are the girl we pulled out from under a tree. A storm had brought it down on you."

"Yes!"

"I will go look for my brother and sister. They will be happy to know you are well."

"Mostly well."

"Mostly?"

"I'm temporarily partially blind. An accident during training."

"I see. I will return, unless you wish to follow me, and let your comrade be for now."

"Gaara, did Sasuke ask you about Kankuro?"

"He did. I wouldn't let him see my brother, because none in my family knew him. I told my brother of it, however."

I looked at Naruto.

"Do you want to stay here, or come with?"

"I think we should both stay here for now. Sasuke is a little more important."

"You're right. Gaara, if you don't mind, could you bring your brother and sister here?"

"We would prefer to speak with you in the living room."

"Can you guys wait for me?"

"Yes. You should know, Kankuro begged our father to let us stay in Konoha at least until you were well again. I've never seen him beg for anything else, ever."

"Really?"

"Yes. I will see you when you are able to speak with us."

Gaara walked down the stairs as I heard several voices at the door call, "Ayami! Naruto! Where are you?"

I heard Gaara greet them in his monotone. He directed the others upstairs. I heard the door shut quietly.

"Ayami! What was that?" Niyana Sensei asked. Her voice sounded stern.

"I was just running."

"You were traveling at lightning speeds. Literally!"

"I'm sorry!" I cried, backing away a couple of steps. When people yelled at me, I found it frightening, and Niyana Sensei looked very menacing. Her red eyes skewered me.

"What would have happened if you lost control? What then?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I said, backing away further. My back hit a doorknob.

"Niyana, you're frightening her," Kakashi said calmly.

"Good. She needs to understand this is dangerous and this isn't a game."

"Niyana, she's all but running again. Let it go."

"Do you understand now?" she asked angrily.

"It's not my fault," I whispered.

"What?" she spat.

"It's not my fault!" I screamed at her.

She looked taken aback.

"What is all the commotion out there?" a voice behind the door asked. The knob turned against my back, the door swung in, and I fell back, landing at the feet of none other than the Kazekage.

"What is going on out here?"

"Um, sorry, Kazekage, sir. We were discussing something with one of our students," Niyana said, looking more surprised than before.

"I don't think this is only a discussion. Has your student done something wrong?"

"She used some of her abilities when we've told her not to because it's dangerous. She's different from others."

I sat up on my elbows.

"You are scared of me! All of you! You're scared!" I accused.

The other Genins looked up at their respective Sensei. Then they returned their gazes to me. All four stepped away from the adults, kneeling by me. Naruto and Miyugi helped me up.

"You shouldn't be scared of her, or of Naruto. It's not their fault. Trust me, I know. I get the same treatment most of the time," a husky, monotone voice said. I was glad for Gaara's intervention.

Niyana Sensei and Kakashi spun around, looking at Gaara.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked.

"That is my son. And something tells me he knows more about what is going on here than I do."

"They would like to know where their comrade is, Father."

"He's staying across the street. I will guide two of your Genin to the room he is staying in."

"Why do you want our Genin?"

"Because right now, I like them more than you."

Kakashi and Niyana Sensei bowed respectively.

"We ask for forgiveness, Kazekage, sir."

"You must earn forgiveness. And it is not I you should be apologizing to. Now, young ones, who is going to come with me to retrieve your friend?"

"Naruto and I would be honored if you showed us the way to Sasuke's place of stay. Will the rest of our teams also be staying in the building across the street?"

"The Genin will. The Jounin who train you may stay in the building next to it."

"Why do you insist on separating us from our pupils?" Niyana Sensei asked.

"You're questioning me?"

"Of course not, sir, just wondering."

"Stop wondering. You are guests here, and will stay where I have you stay. Now, if Naruto and Ayami would just come along with me."

We followed the Kazekage downstairs, out the door, and across the street. In that builiding, he led us up a couple flights of stairs. He stopped by a door.

"Your friend should be inside. Take care. And be wary. As Jinchuuriki, life will likely only get worse for you."

The Kazekage walked back the way we had come.

"How did he know?" Naruto asked

I shrugged. I was just as clueless as he was. Naruto reached a hand up and knocked on the door.

"Sasuke, open up, you idiot."

The door opened. Sasuke stuck his head out, but quickly pulled it back in when Naruto tried to punch him.

"How could you just run off like that? You had everybody else worried."

Sasuke slowly peeked his head out again, narrowing his eyes at Naruto.

"And you weren't worried?"

"Well...I mean, I was, but..." Naruto blushed and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Would you two like to come in, perhaps? It's nicer in here, and you can sit down."

The door opened, and Sasuke walked back to a nice sitting area. Naruto closed the door behind me.

"I found your friend, Ayami. Sort of. That Gaara kid wouldn't let me talk to him."

"That's alright. I'm going to talk with them when I go back. Thank you, though, for coming all this way to help me."

"You seem to be doing better. Can you see me?"

"An outline, kind of like you're a shadow."

"Hiw long are we staying in Suna?"

"Three days."

"Who all came?"

"Just our two teams."

"Is Kakashi Sensei mad?"

"Nah, not really. He thinks you might have been having a kind of tantrum," Naruto said.

"Is your purpose on this world to specifically agitate me?"

"It could be, if you wanted." Naruto grinned. Sasuke smirked back.

"I'm guessing there's something going on here I'm not quite understanding."

Both boys blushed, looked at each other, and blushed harder.

"Is this about that time when you and Sasuke kissed in class?"

"Sort of," Naruto said.

_Very clarifying._

"Wasn't that your first kiss Sasuke?"

"Yeah," he muttered, blushing again.

"Something tells me it's not your only."

"No, it isn't."

"I knew it! I knew it when I met you two."

"How? No one else knows."

"You two just seem perfect."

Sasuke shrugged, pretending not to care. Naruto whistled quietly.

"So are you guys actually together, or no?"

"Yes, but you can't tell anybody. I don't want those stupid girls to kill Naruto."

"And people already give me strrange looks."

"Don't worry, I promise not to tell. Your secret is safe with me."

"So, everybody is going to want to see me, huh?"

"I think we're doubling up on rooms, but Kakashi and Niyana Sensei are staying in the building next door."

"I claim Naruto as my room buddy."

I giggled.

"Hey, Ayami, weren't you going to go see your friend?"

Kankuro's face flashed through my mind, and I smiled.

"Thanks for the reminder, Naruto. I'll see you guys later. Don't do anything too incriminating," I said, winking.

I saw the boys blush, and laughed as I ran back out of the building, into the Kazekage's tower. The rest of our teams were coming out.

"Sasuke is there, then?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. I left Naruto with him."

"Alone? We'll be lucky if they haven't killed each other by the time we get there," Sakura muttered.

The others got out, and I slipped in the door that was closing behind them. The entryway wasn't empty. Gaara waited in a doorway a short ways ahead and to my right.

"Come on. Kankuro and Tamari are excited to see you."

I followed him.


	9. Catching Up and Calming Down

"There she is. The little girl we pulled out from a tree," Temari said.

"How are you, Ayami?" Kankuro asked.

"Mostly fine. My vision is returning, but I can't see a chair or anything. A little help?"

Familiar hands took mine and guided me a few steps forward, then guided my hand to the arm of a couch. I sat down slowly, being careful that I didn't accidently drop and sit on the floor instead.

"So, after we left, what happened to you?" Temari asked.

"The Hokage decided I was going to make a fine ninja and when I'd recovered enough, I started going to the Academy. Um, depending on some factors, I passed my Genin exams up to a week ago."

"Did something happen?" Kankuro asked, worry in his voice despite the fact that we'd only known each other for a week before not seeing each other for three years.

"I don't know how long I was unconscious after the accident that caused this, that's all," I said, vaguely waving my hand around my face. At least, I thought it was around my face. I could have been mistaken.

"What accident?"

"During my first day a training as a Genin, I..."

I let my eyes roam. I couldn't see anything of Kankuro but an outline. If he wasn't speaking, my eyes probably wouldn't even be able to find that. I could see Temari's bright, blonde hair and purple outfit, her hair in four ponytails. Gaara was still present, though he hadn't spoken yet. His siblings seemed uneasy. Were they scared of Gaara?

"You?" Temari asked, bringing me back to what I'd been saying.

"I did something I shouldn't have. It caused Sasuke and I to get sucked into and thrown out of a fiery tornado. We would've died if our Sensei hadn't caught us. I still hit my head, sort of, and I woke up in the hospital."

"What did you do that could cause something like that?"

I looked at Gaara. He hadn't told them. And I had only found out recently. Still, it was astonishing that no one had yet figured it out like Gaara had, just by sensing the huge amount of chakra within me.

Gaara shook his head softly. He knew what I was thinking right now. And my instincts were right. His siblings were frightened of him.

"Why do you keep looking at Gaara?" Kankuro asked.

"Because...I can kind of see him. I can see his eyes, and that gives me something to focus on. I can barely see you as an outline, and I can't see Temari's face."

"Oh. Well, what was it that you did that caused an accident like that?"

"It was just...training." I shrugged it off.

I knew I wasn't being convincing, and I was only raising further questions by being so obscure. I didn't know what else to say without explaining that I was a Jinchuuriki, though.

"What about you guys? What have you all been up to?" I asked, turning the focus of the conversation on them.

"We all passed our Genin exams as well. Temari is very good at wind jutsu, Gaara uses lots of sand, and I have my own bag of tricks."

"What kind of jutsu do you specialize in?"

"No particular kind of jutsu in the sense you're thinking of."

"He's becoming a puppet master," Temari said.

"I wanted that to be a surprise, Temari!"

"Well, it's not like she's seen you fight. She doesn't really know what you can do."

Kankuro made an urgh noise and sighed. "Anyways, what about you? What kind of jutsu do you use?"

"Wind and lightning jutsu."

"Two jutsu specializations?" Temari asked.

"Yes. I have...unusually high amounts of chakra."

"Look at you, on your way to becoming an all powerful ninja. When we first met you didn't even know what chakra was," Kankuro teased.

"I've learned something about that. I'm actually not from Konoha, though that was probably obvious when you met me. I found out I'm from Kumo, in the Land of Lightning."

"How did you make it to Konoha alive?" Kankuro asked, astonished.

"It's mystery to me, too. All I know is I spent two years getting to, through, and past the mountains."

"Why did you leave? Or were you kidnapped?"

"My mind was controlled in my sleep when I was eight. I woke up far from my village, and I didn't know the way back, so...I just kept walking."

"Do you use any special kinds of weapons or have any special defenses?"

"You could say that," I said tentatively.

"Like?"

"You'll see whenever you see me fight."

"Which is when?"

"I don't know. I may be in trouble when I go to my room, though. Niyana Sensei is pretty upset with me."

"I could hear her yelling from my room. Why was she so worked up?"

"Another, different kind of accident," I said with a tight smile.

"You're keeping a lot of secrets. Why?"

"Because if I tell you something, you'll hate me."

"What could you possibly tell me to make me hate you?"

I looked between him and Temari. Gaara was glaring at his siblings.

"It's alright for you to tell us. We won't hate you."

"You'd treat me the same way you treat Gaara," I murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" Kankuro asked. I could hear the fear in his voice rising. He must have been worried about Gaara.

"It's not hard for me to tell the two of you are scared of him."

They didn't deny it. Gaara didn't try to defend them, either.

"This is a secret only my past, and my present villages know. That is assuming my past village remembers my existance."

"Are you like Gaara?" Temari asked slowly.

"It depends on in what way you mean that."

"I'm not sure. I just see something between you two. Something that others don't understand. He knows this secret of yours, doesn't he?"

"Only because he learned of it on his own."

"Is it really so terrible that you can't tell us?"

"As I said, you would treat me like you do Gaara if I told you."

"Did you accidently kill someone in your accident during training?"

"No. But I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Kankuro asked.

"I should really get back to my team."

"What if we let you stay here? We have a spare that used to belong to...well, point being, there's an empty room."

Gaara rose to his feet slowly. Sand spewed from the gourd on his back. It shot forward, wrapping around Kankuro's neck and raising him off the ground some.

"Gaara! Control the beast inside!" I yelled at him.

He didn't appear to hear me. I stepped on the trail of sand between him and Kankuro. The sand started rising around my feet. Behind me, I heard Kankuro drop to the ground, gasping for breath.

The sand continued to rise. It was up to my waist now. Looking into Gaara's eyes, it wasn't Gaara in control anymore. Shikkaku was craving blood, and he didn't care who it came from.

"Gaara, take back control," I said, sand beginning to cover my neck.

"Gaara! Stop it! You're going to kill her!" Temari yelled.

Gaara blinked, and some of the hate left his eyes. The sand dropped and rushed back to his gourd. Then, he turned and ran upstairs.

"Ayami..." Kankuro moaned from the floor.

Temari kneeled next to him, rolling him over to check for injuries. I couldn't see if he was injured myself. I could only stare at the stairs in shock.

Kankuro coughed a few times before slowly sitting up. His breath was still somewhat ragged, but steady.

"Ayami, are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm...I'm okay, I think."

"Do you understand now? Why we are frightened of him? He's a sociopath!"

"That kind of thinking only makes him feel worse. And it's the same kind of thinking that would make you hate me if you learned my biggest secret."

I resolved myself to go upstairs after Gaara.

"Don't go up there alone with him, Ayami. It isn't safe," Temari said.

"You hate him for something that he's been struggling with everyday of his life. Something that isn't his fault."

"He's threatened to kill us multiple times over. He just now nearly killed you and Kankuro. He's been that way since he was a child, since our uncle died."

"Has anyone ever showed him love? Naruto is lucky. He has friends, a team. Others he can talk to and rely on. You're Gaara's siblings and team, and you treat him as if he is a demon himself."

"If you knew him, as we do, you would know he is one."

"No. No, I wouldn't know. Because he isn't one. Neither is Naruto, or any other Jinchuuriki. Jinchuuriki are not the beasts they hold within themselves. My only friend in Kumo once told me that every day a host controls the beast inside them is another day they save their village."

"How much of your past do you remember now?" Kankuro asked.

"One day in my village, and partials of my time in the mountains. But, it was enough time for me to see how my life looked."

"And?"

"And I can't tell you the rest without giving my secret away."

With that I went upstairs. On the second floor, I couldn't hear the slightest of sounds, so I went up to the third floor. I couldn't hear anything there, either, so I went up another floor, the floor below the Kazekage's room and office.

On this floor, I heard a sudden crash. I followed the sound as far as I could. I heard another crash and followed it even closer to where Gaara was. I was in between two doors. I didn't know which he lay behind.

A sound like splintering wood came from my right. I opened the door.

The form in front of me was not my friend, nor a Jinchuuriki. Shukkaku was in control, as was evident by the human sized version of the beast before me. I couldn't make out many details, but it appeared to be a khaki color. That was about all I could really tell besides a general shape.

The beast melted when it turned towards the sound of the door. At least, that's what it looked like. It just seemed to drop to the floor, and there was Gaara again. He broke down in tears, screaming. I shut his door.

"Gaara?"

"Leave. You shouldn't be here," he said, sobbing.

I looked around his room for a moment. It looked almost entirely destroyed except for a mattress on the floor and a picture frame on top of it. Looking at it, I could see it was Gaara's mother.

"Go! Leave me alone!"

"No, Gaara. I'm not other people you know. I won't leave you alone."

"Why not?!"

"Because you aren't what other people think you are."

"My own family is frightened of me. I murder to people to assure myself of my own existence. My father has hired assassins on me! Why can't you see what everyone else sees so clearly?"

"Because it isn't you're fault. It's the Bijuu inside you, but you must control it."

"I can't. I can't control it. I don't want to control it. It helps me. Helps me hurt them," Gaara said, his monotonic voice full of vehemence.

"Who's them?"

"Everybody who isn't me. Who wants to hurt me."

"I don't want to hurt you Gaara. I want to help you. In a different way from Shikkaku. Where he gives you hate, I want to give you love."

"I love only myself."

"That isn't a way to live, Gaara."

"It is a way to survive. Now, get out. I don't need your love. You'll only hurt me, like the others."

"My heart goes to you, Gaara, my friend," I said. I turned, about to leave as he asked of me, when his voice stopped me.

"Wait. What did you just call me?"

"My friend. I consider you my friend, Gaara. We have more in common than you may think. My Sensei, the woman I can come closest to calling my mother right now, fears me like your father fears you. On some level, my friends fear me, too. Even Naruto. He has more control over his Bijuu than I do over Choumei."

"I do not fear you."

"But am I your friend?"

Gaara's answer came slowly.

"If I had a friend, you would be my friend. But I do not have a friend. I have only myself, and the voice in my mind. I cannot have a friend, because that friend would fear me and hate me, too."

"I can't force you to not believe that, Gaara. All I can say is that I don't believe that. I don't hate you. I'm not scared of you."

"Stay here, for your time in Suna." He sounded much more himself now. "I would like to speak with you more about Shikkaku and your demon...Choumei."

"So long as the Kazekage allows it, I would be happy to."

I opened the door and stepped back out. Kankuro looked furious, trapped against the wall by chakra threads. Temari was stuck on the same side of the hall as the door I'd just come out of. The Kazekage stood calmly in front of me. When Kankuro and Temari saw me, they seemed shocked, but relaxed some.

"It just so happens, I do allow it. I would very much enjoy if you would stay here with us for your visit," the Kage said, then walked back up the stairs. Before passing completely out of sight, the chakra restraints released on Kankuro and Temari. They leapt from the walls, running to me.

"Are you alright? We tried running up here after you. We were about to come in, but our father trapped us against the walls," Temari said.

"I'm fine."

"He didn't hurt you?" Kankuro asked.

"No. He tore up his room pretty bad before I walked in, but he's calmed down quite a bit now."

"Really?" Temari asked, not expecting an answer. Her gaze flitted to the door.

"So, you will stay here with us?" Kankuro questioned, while Temari was distracted with her thoughts.

"Yes."

"This will be fun. The empty room is across the hall from my room. After we eat dinner, I'll show you."

"Is my team joining us?"

"Do you want them to?"

"I'm not sure."

"We'll invite them, okay? We have more than enough seats at our table."

I nodded. "So, when do we eat?"

"As soon as Temari and I are done cooking," he said. I could tell he was grinning from his tone, even if I couldn't see it.

"Temari and you are cooking?"

"Yep. Now, come on. You can sit in the kitchen with us."

He guided me down the steps. While I was thinking about it, I was amazed I hadn't tripped coming up here.

"Last step," Kankuro told me, so I wouldn't trip over myself.

He lead me through some doors and into a room that smelled like cookies. I sat in a chair at and island and listened while Kankuro and Temari talked to me, enjoying the food aromas that rose around me. Before I knew it, food was being put in the dining room.


	10. Gaara Loves Cookies

There was a knock on the door, and when Temari returned, she had team seven and the rest of team fourteen in tow.

Niyana looked ready to start yelling at me again, but Kakashi moved between us.

"This isn't the time or place."

"This is the only time and place. She's staying here, with them, so long as we're in Suna."

Kakashi turned worried eyes on me.

"We must speak with you, Ayami. Privately."

He pulled me out several doors, until I felt cool air from the night on my face.

"Are you sure it's entirely wise to stay here, given your night time habits?"

"Gaara is a Jinchuuriki, like me. I can learn a lot from him."

"I know he is a Jinchuuriki. He has a reputation that spreads far outside our lands. Even going to your original home."

"Then why do you seem so frightened? He's my friend."

"Gaara is dangerous, Ayami. He doesn't have any friends. He doesn't even think of his family as a family."

"They don't love him, Kakashi. They're scared and they hate him. How is he supposed to find any light in the world when his is all dark?"

"He murders people, Ayami. Without a second thought."

"His father hires assassins to try to murder him."

"And he's killed each of them brutally."

"What he supposed to do? Lay down and die like a good little boy? If I was him, I'd fight, too!"

"Ayami, calm down," Niyana Sensei said, a note of fear in her voice.

"Don't you get me started on calming down, Sensei. And why are you acting so scared? Are my eyes changing colors again?"

My vision changed again, coming in perfect clarity. It worked like an eagles, focusing in and reeling out however I pleased. I knew my anger was causing me to lose control.

"Yes, they are. They're already half milky. You're emotions make you lose control."

"I don't care! You've all known most of my life that I'm a Jinchuuriki, and now that it's beginning to show, even you are distancing yourselves from me. There's is no one that cares about me in Konoha, or in Kumo. Maybe I should just stay here!"

"Ayami, if you want, we can stop talking about this. But you should really calm down," Kakashi said calmly, his voice even. I felt the hair rise on my arms. Overhead, dark clouds rolled and tumbled, and streaks of lightning flashed.

"You're powers are only getting stronger by the hour as you use them." Niyana's voice spiked, reaching a pretty high note.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"How long was I unconscious, after Sasuke and I fell?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Because I want to know exactly how much of my life hasn't been a life."

"You were unconscious for two days."

"My birthday is in June, and it's August. A lttle more than a month after my birthday, being the fifth. Hey, Sensei, most of the other Genin graduated when they were twelve. Why didn't I?"

"Because we had to reteach your mind what your body already knew from the academy in Kumo," she explained.

"Oh. So, anyways, that's about thirteen years, one month, and two days that my life has been determined by others. Whether I had friends, and who they were. What I do, where I go, who I speak with. It's all dictated by others. I'm tired of being controlled. I want to live the way I want. You know I've never tried chocolate, that I can remember? Or ice cream? But oh, no. I can't get some from the shops or vendors. None of them will serve me because I'm a dangerous Jinchuuriki. I even get some fearful looks going to Ichiraku's!"

"That's because you're a Jinchuuriki that appeared from a storm. You're a huge mystery. Even though Naruto is also a Jinchuuriki, everyone knows where he came from, how he got here. You're the only one who knows the whole story, no matter how well we know what's going on in your head or how well you describe your dreams," Kakashi said.

"I'm beginning to understand Gaara more and more," I muttered darkly.

This only earned several fearful looks between the two Sensei.

"Ayami, I don't want you to stay here. I don't like how close you're becoming with Gaara," Niyana Sensei said.

"It's my life now. Mine. And I'll be friends with whoever I want, whoever really cares."

"You think Gaara cares?" Niyana Sensei asked, incredulous. "He'll kill you as soon as look at you."

"No. He wouldn't."

"He would."

"He wouldn't, and that's the last I want to hear of this. I'm staying here with my friends until we leave. When my sight returns in full, I'll let you know."

I could feel my anger melting away, and my vision returned to it's diminished state. I remained in control.

"That is not your call to make, Ayami."

"It is, actually. I was invited to stay here, not you."

Kakashi whispered something in her ear, and she sighed. "Very well, then," she said, nodding.

I knew this was some kind a of trap. But it was a small enough victory.

"Can we go back in to dinner now?"

"Yes. Mind your manners, and if Gaara is there, do not speak with him too often."

"I'll speak to him however much I want. No one else will. I'm the only thing he has that's even close to a friend."

"How do you not see that he is dangerous?"

"Because he isn't! He's just like me!"

The three of us froze as the words I'd just said rang true. Gaara was just like me. I was just like him. I was uncontrollable, dangerous, and so was he. We were both Jinchuuriki. And everyone feared and hated us for the creatures inside us.

"No. No, you two are very different," Niyana Sensei said, breaking the silence. We all knew it was too late. The truth of the words rang in my ear, and Niyana Sensei had been too late to try to deny it.

"I'm going back inside. You two are welcome to join us."

I wandered through doorways, heading towards the sound of many voices. At some point, I got lost, and couldn't find any doors but the one I'd come in at.

"Well, this is unexpected. I came in here to find something, but I can't quite recall what, now. I found someone instead."

"Kankuro?"

"Yes. You're in my room. Who did you expect?"

"I'm sorry. I got lost. I can't see much, remember?"

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you like that."

I didn't know what he was talking about. My face must have shown it.

"Don't worry about it," he said as the teasing tone entered his voice again. There was something I wasn't getting here that he wanted me to.

"What is it Kankuro?"

The teasing dropped, his tone serious. "Nothing. Never mind. Come here. I'll help you back to dinner."

"Thank you."

I stumbled around, trying to find Kankuro. With him silent, I had nothing to try and find him by. The room was dark, and I couldn't yet see any features about Kankuro.

"Kankuro, can you at least turn a light on?"

"Nah. I'm enjoying watching this."

"Kankuro!"

"What?"

"Oh, yes. There's nothing suspicious about a fourteen year old boy and a thirteen year old girl in a dark bedroom together."

"It's only suspicious if you want it to be," he said. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

I fell against a solid form. Legs, arms holding me upright, light breath in my face, and the rise and fall of a chest against my own.

"Kankuro?"

"Who else?"

"You're a jerk sometimes. You know that?"

"You love it, really," he said, teasing me again.

"Take me back to dinner, please."

"Aw, you're no fun."

"I can be plenty of fun."

"Prove it."

I stood there, unknowingly looking directly into his eyes as I said, "And if I did, what would you do then? We both know how we feel. We've known each other since we were children. We're friends."

He sighed. "Alright, come on. I'll get you back to dinner. You must be starving, anyways."

"What makes you say that?"

_Has he found out? Does he know? Has he learned my biggest secret?_

"You haven't eaten since getting here. You've been too busy with Sasuke, Gaara, Temari, and me."

"Oh. Yeah. You're right. I am really hungry."

"Then I'll be your guide."

He pushed me a couple steps away from him, making sure I was steady on my feet. Then he took me by my elbow and guided me through several doors. I'd taken a lot of wrong turns to end up in Kankuro's room.

"Oh, look. There she is. And she fetched Kankuro for us, too. He was trying to sneak off to his room."

"I found a reason to hang around," he said.

Kankuro let go of me for a moment and then helped me to sit in a chair.

"What are we eating?"

"Try it first. Then I'll tell you."

"I can't see what I'm eating or how I'm supposed to eat it."

"I'll help you, Ayami," Temari said from my left.

A spoon was pushed up against my lips, and I swallowed the bite of...chicken noodle soup. It was delicious, and kind of creamy. Next, Temari gave me a bite of turkey. It was roasted and had some delicious seasonings. The last thing I tasted was some homemade guacamole on fresh baked bread. It was my favorite thing I'd tasted so far.

"Wow. It's all delicious. I really love the guacamole. Temari, Kankuro, you guys are awesome cooks."

"I made the turkey. Kankuro made the soup and guacamole. He also prepared drinks. All of them are different, so I have no idea what yours will taste like."

She put a straw in my mouth, and I took a sip. The drink reminded me of melted chocolate, like chocolate that's been out in the sun a while. There was also a taste of vanilla, something sweet, like kiwi, and the whole thing was smooth and creamy, like a shake. It was like heaven in my mouth.

"That's delicious. I don't know what all you put in it, but it's like drinking liquid heaven."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

I enjoyed the rest of the meal, chatting with Sasuke, Naruto, Miyugi, Trigyoko, Kankuro, Temari, and yes, even Sakura. Niyana Sensei and Kakashi spoke little, and when they did, they never sounded happy, or even normal. They sounded scared.

When we'd all finished, the others left. Gaara had never came down. Neither had the Kazekage.

"We should take your dad and your brother some food."

"I'll take care of it. I'd hate for a repeat of earlier," Kankuro said.

"It'll be fine. I just need a little help up the stairs. Then you can take some to your dad."

"No. I'd rather you took some to my dad. I'll take care of Gaara."

"Why are you scared of him?"

"Why aren't you?"

"Because I trust him, and I trust that he won't hurt me."

"I'm scared because he wouldn't give a second thought to killing me or Temari. He really wouldn't. You he'd have even less trouble with."

"I'm not as weak as I look. Nor does my temporary, partial blindedness keep me from being able to fight, if it comes to that. Gaara needs someone to care about him right now, and right now, that person isn't you or Temari."

"I don't understand how you can be so okay with the thought that he may kill you."

"Because if he does kill me, he will feel remorse. And if he feels remorse, it will prove to you, your father, and Temari that he doesn't need to be feared and hated. He just needs love. But he won't hurt me. He has control. I'll bet he is even able to sleep tonight."

"Why? Why would tonight differ from any other?"

"Because tonight, he knows someone who truely cares about him could end up being in danger if he lost control. He will keep control to keep others safe."

"Are you sure you want to go up there?"

"Yes, Kankuro. And you won't stop me. If you won't help me, I'll just find my way upstairs myself, eventually."

"Alright, alright. Come on."

He helped me up the steps, letting me know when we'd reached the top.

"If he does anything, yell for me and Temari. We'll come help you."

"It'll be fine, Kankuro."

I didn't let him answer before I started down the hallway.

_Choumei, can you find him?_

_It's about time you let me speak with you again._

_Lend me your vision?_

_Of course._

My eyes focused in, and all colors blazed to life around me.

_Can you sense the Shikkaku for me? I'm looking for Gaara._

_Why are you associating us with Shikkaku? He's truely evil. I'm simply mischeivous and somewhat difficult to get along with._

_You get along with me. Most of the time._

_I'm sorry. Your anger makes me angry, and the energy has to go somewhere. I can only calm down if you do._

_Can you sense the Shikkaku or not?_

_We. Can we sense the Shikkaku or not._

_Can we?_

_Reach with your mind and feel with your chakra. Do you sense a being with a massive spike of chakra?_

_Yes..._

_Follow the trail of light you see._

Following the light, I came to a door. I'd traveled down the hall about as far as I had the first time I'd found Gaara's room.

I knocked softly.

"Who is it?" his monotone voice called.

"Ayami."

"You may come in."

"I brought some food for you."

"Thank you. I was too scared of something happening if I'd gone downstairs. And I didn't want to deal with the tension."

"I get it."

"I sense something is troubling you. What is wrong?"

"Everyone is scared of me and hates me, because of Choumei inside of me."

_I'm sorry. I never meant to make your life miserable. You're such a sweet, beautiful girl. You had a life of promise, a great future. Then that man used his life to trap me inside you._

"Is it only recently, or has it been always?"

"Always, although it's much worse now, with my abilities beginning to reveal themselves, my true power beginning to show."

"Has your Sensei had anything to say?"

"Not much, except to stay away from you because you're dangerous."

"I am dangerous."

"Only when you let Shikkaku take control."

"I don't have control very often. But this afternoon, when I was going to hurt you, kill you, and Kankuro, I got back control. You helped me get back control. You helped me fight him."

"You're stronger than I am. If I get angry, we both get angry, and I lose all control. She loses her cool and kinda goes crazy."

"If I sleep, Shikkaku takes control in full form."

"Is that why there's dark rings around your eyes?"

"Yes. As I said, I have a lack of sleep."

"It seemes I do to recemtly."

"Bad drams?"

"Very bad dreams."

"Anything you would like to tell me about?"

"No. Kakashi says nobody will understand, no matter how well I try to describe my dreams. Nobody will understand me."

"I will. We're more alike than others realize. More alike than is probably safe. Everyone you know, even those who are supposed to love you, are scared of you."

_Do not get angry. With both of you here, it would be too dangerous, too risky._

"Yes. And I'm scared I will hurt them."

"I like cookies."

I paused. This statement hung in the air. I busted out laughing.

"You laugh at me?"

"We were both all serious and then you just say that you like cookies!" I yell, in hysterics. It was just too much.

"I like cookies. What is so funny?" he asked.

My vision twisted and rolled with my bouts of laughter.

"It's just...that's hardly something serious. The moment you said it and the way you said it was just funny."

"I haven't had cookies in a long time."

"Maybe we could ask Kankuro to help us make some? And Temari?"

"Neither of them would. They hate me."

"I think that's going to change. Come on. It can't hurt to ask."

Choumei lent me her eyes, since mine didn't work. I pulled Gaara with me to the door.

"I didn't get to eat dinner."

I went back to the table by his bed and grabbed his dinner for him. He ate it as we went downstairs.

"My siblings are good cooks. On better mornings, I sit in the kitchen with them while they make breakfast. We'll talk some. When I was a child, it was every morning, and I used to laugh."

"You don't laugh?"

"My brother and sister don't make jokes with me anymore."

"If you smile a bit more, maybe they'll see the side of you I do."

A light smile brushed his features. It was nice, seeing my friend smile.

"Kankuro?" I called, walking through the maze of rooms on the first floor.

"Yeah! Everything alright?"

"Gaara and I have a question for you."

"Gaara, too?"

"Yes. Can you come here?"

He stepped out of a door to our right.

"What is it?"

"Can you help us make cookies?" Gaara asked.

Kankuro became stone still. I couldn't see his expression because Choumei's eyes had left me. I had Gaara to guide me, after all.

"Help you...make cookies?"

"Yes. You and Temari both."

"Sure! Absolutely. Come on, let's go get her."

I could hear the smile in Kankuro's voice. He's missed this side of his brother, this childish side that just wanted to have fun.

We went up to the third floor and all three of us begged her to come make cookies with us. She relented pretty quickly. We all went down to the kitchen, where I'd left Gaara's tray.

"You ate all of your food, Gaara?" Kankuro asked.

"I was hungry."

"Let's make cookies," Temari said. I heard the thumps, rattles, and clacks as she got what we would need out.

"Wait, what flavor do we want to make?" Kankuro asked.

My eyes locked with Gaara's green ones, and we grinned at them.

"Chocolate chip!"

"Oh, wow. What a surprise," Kankuro said sarcastically. I could tell he was smiling.

Kankuro and Temari mixed a batter, and when it was gooey and shapable, they spread it out on a floury table. Kankuro handed me something. A cookie cutter. Gaara and I cut the cookies into all sorts of shapes and patterns, even some holiday ones.

"Were not done yet. We have to decorate them!" Gaara said happily. His usual monotone voice was gone, replaced by a childish boy who felt loved.

Kankuro helped me put icing and sprinkles on cookies, while Temari and Gaara put a special coating of some kind on them.

When we'd finished, the table was covered in various sprinkles, icings, and a lot of floour, but we had somewhere around a hundred pretty, delicious looking cookies.

"Gaara can you open the oven for me?" Temari asked, picking up the first two sheets.

In ten minutes, the first batch was smelling as delicious as they'd looked. Kankuro helped me wipe off the table, and set out cooling racks. While Temari put more cookies in the oven, Gaara got the cookies off the pans to the racks.

"What if we made more cookies? Enough for both our villages? We just made quite a few from one batter."

"Do you want to, Gaara?" Kankuro asked. We all looked at him.

"Yes!"

So we spent almost all night making cookies. Gaara and I were happy doing something and not having to face sleep, and we all enjoyed each others' company. We joked around and made some of the cookies have funny faces and others were just pretty. When the last batch finally came out, sometime around dawn, we each ate two of the original chocolate chip cookies, and went into the living room.

In all, we'd made thirty different flavors, and more than enough to give to our villages. The whole house smelled like baking. Kankuro turned on the TV and we watched animal cartoons. It wasn't long before Temari was snoring softly on the other side of Gaara. Gaara himself was also breathing steadily and deeply as he slept. I was curled up between him and Kankuro.

When Kankuro sighed, his breathing evened out, I knew he was asleep too, even though I couldn't yet tell whether his eyes were open of closed. I was the last one awake, but I didn't mind. It was nice, seeing all of us together after having such a good time.

_Nice..._


	11. Leaving Sunagakure

When I woke up, I heard voices. It wasn't my teammates voices, which I'd come to know pretty quickly after several times of waking up to them. It wasn't team seven, either, whom I had come to learn the voices of over the course of our trip to Suna.

No, the voices didn't belong to anyone from Konoha. I was in the Kazekage's tower, with Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari.

After noticing the voices, I noticed three things. I could see everything, but the colors were kind of muted. I hadn't had any nightmares or visions or anything last night. And one of the voices was right in my ear. I wasn't alone on the couch.

"I think she's waking up," Temari said.

"She's awake. I can see her eyes," Gaara said. I turned my head to look at him. He was sitting on the couch behind my legs, which were curled around him.

The couch chuckled underneath my head. I sat up straight, wild eyed. I whipped my head around to see a boy I hadn't seen for three years, laying almost completely under me, cool as a cucumber. Kankuro, who only still talked to me because he didn't know my secret. Kankuro, who's cat hood was back revealing his messy brown hair and who's deep purple eyes were staring right back at me. There were smudged markings on his face.

I giggled.

"What?"

"Kankuro, are you wearing makeup?"

"It's face paint!"

"It's smudged," I said, putting a finger on his face.

He didn't flinch at my touch, although I was quick to take my hand away. As soon as he found out, he'd stop talking to me anyways. I couldn't reunite too closely with my friend.

"Weren't we all on the couch when I fell asleep?"

"Maybe, but by the time I woke up, Kankuro's legs had kicked me off to the floor," Temari said, shoving the back of her brother's head before turning and going to the kitchen.

I looked again at my legs around Gaara, then past Gaara to Kankuro's legs, on either side of mine and Gaara, in the place where Temari had been as I fell asleep.

"Why did you kick Temari off the couch? I'm the one who doesn't belong here," I said, laughing.

"You belong here as much as any of us. And anyways, it was in my sleep. I didn't mean to."

"I recall falling asleep specifically against the couch, not on you or Gaara. How did you end up almost entirely underneath me?"

"I don't know?" he tried, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Kankuro has recently become somewhat fascinated with girls. I keep catching him staring at random girls around the village. You're lucky. You've gotten the closest to him," Temari said, grinning devilishly.

"Temari!" he yelled, as his blush deepened.

"Well, is it true?"

"Of course not!"

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, maybe kind of true. You're the closest a girl besides Temari has gotten to me, but you're my friend."

_Knew it. So why has he been acting kind of...strange whenever we end up alone?_

"Kankuro is a player, Kankuro is a player!" I teased him.

"I caught him reading a book once, called Make Out Paradise," Gaara said slowly in his monotone.

"Kankuro!" Temari said, now more scornful than teasing.

"I have an injured person on me!" he yelled, using me as a reason for Temari not to hit him.

Instead of hitting him the way she was going to, she smacked him on the back of the head. He just rolled his eyes.

"Really? Using me as a shield?"

"What? No one in my family can hurt you. We all like you. You're a very effective shield."

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"I know. He's unbelievable sometimes," Temari called from the kitchen.

"What are you making, Temari?" Gaara asked.

"Breakfast. I hope you like french toast, Ayami."

"Yum," I said. I actually prefer waffles, but french toast was good, too.

"Need any help?" Kankuro asked.

"Nope. You just go back to cuddling with Ayami."

Another blush colored his paint smeared cheeks.

"Hey, come on," I said, grabbing his hand and being careful I didn't accidently kick Gaara as I got up. He came willingly enough.

"Gaara, can you help me? I'm going to help him wipe this stuff off."

"Okay..." he mumbled tentatively.

Gaara had probably spent more time with his siblings in the past day than he had in the past year. I was hoping my stay here would change that.

We went into a bathroom that was kind of small with all three of us in it. Kankuro sat on the edge of the tub and Gaara and I used wet paper towels to wipe away the paint. When it'd all been wiped away, I saw the face of the same boy I'd met three years ago, only older.

I would only ever admit it to Choumei, but he wasn't bad looking.

_Does my little Ayami have a crush?_

_Hardly. He's just a little cute. He's my friend. I've known him since I woke up from the storm. I can't imagine us ever being like that. It just wouldn't work._

_Why?_

_Because I'm not the kind of girl he likes._

_How do you know?_

_With most boys, you can just tell. Kankuro likes blondes with green eyes and lots of leg. It doesn't hurt if they're flirty and girlish, either._

_But that's why I like you. You're so much better than that. You're pretty light purple hair is very edgy and mysterious, and your eyes are really deep and dark, like the night sky. But they're blue, so he should like them. You're only two inches shorter than him, at most, and your tomboyishness is much more interesting than a flirty airheaded girl that means nothing._

_You're awfully critical of his preferred type of girl._

_Only because I can tell how you feel about him. And I think you have a crush on him._

_Please. He's not my type of boy, either. He's a showoff, a flirt, a player, and he thinks he has this magnetic effect on girls._

_And you got all of this information how?_

_Another of those things you can just tell._

"Ayami, you okay?" Kankuro asked.

I shook myself back to the present world. I was going to have to train myself to stay active while I was talking to Choumei. Otherwise, it could be the death of us.

_Now is the best time for that kind of training, before you're assigned any missions._

"I'm fine. Just thinking. Let's get back to the kitchen. I'll bet Temari's french toast is done."

Kankuro shrugged and lead the way back out. To my own little satisfaction, he didn't pull his hood back up.

"Was she talking to you?" Gaara asked in a quiet murmur so Kankuro wouldn't hear.

I nodded. Gaara gave me a small smile of sympathy.

The cookies were all in a bunch of baskets, and we'd hand them out to people after we ate breakfast.

"Hey, Temari, what time is it?" I asked out of curiosity.

"About ten. Why? Somewhere you'd rather be?"

"Not at all," I said, smiling. And it was true. I was happy, and enjoying myself, there with the sand siblings.

A knock on the door had us all staring in the general direction of where it was. Temari went to answer it.

"Is Ayami awake yet?" a familiar voice asked.

"She is. We're eating breakfast, though."

"That's okay. I just need to talk to her for a minute."

"Ayami, Naruto is here to see you."

Temari came back as I went to see him. I noticed Gaara and Kankuro's uneasy glances. I didn't know what they were worried about.

I opened the door to see a familiar blonde head.

"Hi, Naruto."

"Hey, Ayami. I wanted to check on you and see if your sight is any better."

"Much better. I can see everything, but the colors are kind of faded."

"That's great," he said, but he didn't sound like he thought it was great.

"What's wrong?"

"We're leaving Suna at noon."

"What?!"

"Niyana and Kakashi Sensei decided there was no reason for us to stay longer. We would only be staying until tomorrow, anyways, so they decided we should just leave today instead."

"But, what about my friends? It's so sudden. We had things planned."

"Talk to Niyana about it. She may postpone so you can do everything you were going to."

"Could you get her for me?"

"Sure. I'll let her know before going back to Sasuke. I hope he didn't burn breakfast."

"Thanks, Naruto."

"No problem!" He ran back across the street, into the building Niyana Sensei and Kakashi were staying in.

I closed the door and walked slowly back to the kitchen, trying to mask my emotions. I wasn't very successful.

"What's wrong, Ayami? Your smile disappeared," Kankuro said.

"Naruto just told me that Niyana and Kakashi are trying to get us to leave by noon, today."

Kankuro and Temari seemed to be in shock. Gaara hung his head.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. If you hated me and ignored me like everyone else, you could probably stay. Your Sensei thinks it's dangerous for you to be around me."

"But, the past day has been better than the past year, by far. Gaara, you've been acting like part of our family again. And we've all been having so much fun. We made cookies, and we were going to show you more of Suna. And tomorrow, we wanted to train with you for a little while, if your vision is good."

"I know," I said, hanging my head as well. I wasn't ready to leave yet.

There was a knock on the door.

"I told Naruto to tell my Sensei to come here. You guys have to help me convince her to let us stay longer. Please?"

The siblings all got up and followed right behind me to the door.

"Hello, Ayami. Naruto said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I want to stay in Suna for our full three days. I have plans with my friends here."

"We need to get back to Konoha. This was a very sudden trip, and the Hokage needs us back to our own village. There is also the matter of your training to discuss, and the Hokage wants a private word with you."

"Can you guys pass the cookies without me?"

"Yes. But don't forget to take yours with you. And don't forget us, and the time you had here," Temari said.

"I'll miss you," I said, hugging her.

"I will miss you, as well."

She went back inside, tears in her eyes.

"Do you have to go?" Gaara asked.

"I can't deny the Hokage. I don't have a choice."

"Will you send letters?"

"If you want," I said, smiling.

He gave me a small smile in return, and slowly reached forward. He gave me a quick hug, which I was too surprised to return, before he ran inside. I could hear his feet pounding the stairs.

"I have a present," Kankuro said. He dragged me inside with him and to his room.

"What is it?"

"Here," he said, handing me a sturdy, tough leather backpack. "You can't look inside until you get home. After that, you can use the backpack however you want. I've got an extra."

"Thank you."

"One more thing."

I turned back to him, and he put something in my hair before I could see what it was.

"I can't decide if I like the black or the blue now. The blue goes with your eyes, but the black makes them stand out."

"Another Dragon Lilly?"

"I brought you a Dragon Lilly a day for that week in Konoha. I missed getting you one yesterday, because I didn't know you were coming. I had to get you one today."

"Thank you. You know, this may be the last time I see you. What's the chances of us running into each other a third time?"

"Unfortunately, not likely. But better than if you were still in the Land of Lightning. There were a lot of coincidences involved in our first meeting, huh?"

"Yes. And several more that lead to this meeting."

"I think I like coincidences."

"Then prey for another so we may meet again."

He grinned, pulling me to him for a hug.

"Don't worry. I'll find you again. Or you'll find me," he said, laughing.

As I walked back outside, he ruffled my hair.

"Seriously though. Don't forget us."

"I remembered all three of you after three years. How could I forget you now?"

"You forgot your life up to the point that you were wading through that storm."

"That was because of...something else."

"There you go again, keeping secrets."

"Then the next time I see you, I will tell you one of my secrets."

"I'll hold you to that."

He stayed leaning against the door frame, watching me as Niyana Sensei lead me away. I pulled on his secretive present. My last sight of Kankuro was him saluting me, before dragging himself back inside.

The others were waiting at the gate. We left Suna together. Naruto walked beside Sasuke, a short ways ahead of me. Sakura walked next to Kakashi, who had Niyana Sensei on the other side of him. Miyugi and Trigyoko were on wither side of me.

"Are you doing better, Ayami?" Trigyoko asked.

"Much, thank you. When we stop, do you guys want to train some? I promise, I can keep control. It helps just knowing she's there, and you guys can warn me if I start to lose it..." I trailed off.

"Of course we'll train with you. We told you earlier, we're not scared. In fact, if you do lose it, it'll probably toughen us up some. There's different ways to use this to helpp you or us. But, we'll train with you," Miyugi said.

I looked at Trigyoko, and he nodded fervently.

"Definitely. We'll be a strong team."

I smiled, happy to have good teammates. Ones who wouldn't leave me. So, I wasn't quite so alone. But I still couldn't even tell them everything.


	12. Missing Medicine

Our three day journey went uneventful, and when we arrived at Konoha's gates, they opened with a creak.

"The Hokage is expecting you, Ayami. You should go straight there."

"I will."

"Can we walk you there?" Trigyoko and Miyugi asked.

"Sure."

"See ya, team fourteen!" Sakura called. We waved as she ran off in what I assumed was the direction of her house.

"Bye, Ayami! See you guys later!" Naruto called as he jumped up to the rooftops.

"Whatever," Sasuke said. He walked very casually towards his house. Of course, he was also living alone, but had the money to afford his own place. He didn't stay at the orphanage.

"Team fourteen. I'm sure I'll be seeing all of you fairly often," Kakashi said. He walked back out the gate we'd just come in.

"I cannot come with you, team. I must go pay Kurenai a visit."

"Team eight's Sensei?"

"Yes. She asked for some advice with getting Shino to open up a bit. He's a bit reclusive."

"That's okay. I've got the guys to come along," I said, putting an arm over each of their shoulders.

Niyana Sensei smiled.

"I'm happy to see that despite a difficult start, you three are getting along. I will see you all for training at five. Meet at training ground seven."

I grinned, hearing the number of our special training grounds. It connected us more as a team.

"Come on, guys. If we're early, maybe we can even convince the Hokage to let you guys sit in on our talk."

The guys picked me up between them and the three of us ran to the Hokage tower, laughing. When we arrived, we were met with a grim faced Hokage. Trigyoko and Miyugi dropped me instantly, and I stood tall, back straight.

"Hokage, sir. You requested to speak with me?" I asked, bowing.

"I did."

"May my teammates sit in on the conversation?"

"As it involoves your training, yes. Come with me."

We followed him inside and up to his office. The layout reminded me of Sunagakure, and I missed my friends there.

In his office, I sat in the chair across from his desk. Miyugi and Trigyoko stayed leaning against the wall behind me.

"You can't train like a normal Genin, Ayami."

"I can't train with others?"

"Not until you learn to control..."

"It's alright. They know. They're my teammates. They should know."

He nodded. "Well, you can see how the loss in control over the beast inside you may result in devastating tragedies."

"My teammates do not fear me. They wish to train with me. I have gained much more control since learning of the beast."

"Have you yet had any recollection of your past?"

"I have. I'm from Kumogakure, in the Land of Lightning. The beast inside me is Choumei, the seven tails."

"The Akatsuki transfered the beast to you?"

"More like they lost it. It was terrorizing my village with endless storms before Choumei was pit inside me."

"And how do you know you have control of your beast?"

"Because she gives me control. She helps me when I need it. When I first lost control, she believed we were being attacked by enemies. Since then, I have come to realize that if I get angry, she gets angry, and I lose control. She goes kind of crazy when she is angry."

_That's why I created storms for your village. I was angry with the Akatsuki, because they killed Fuu. She was my host before you._

"Why was she terrorizing your village?"

"She was angry. The Akatsuki killed Fuu, her previous host."

"And how have you learned all of this information, most of which is unknown to the majority of Jounin?"

I froze, and looking into the Hokage's eyes, I could tell he knew. He'd been digging around in my head again and he knew I'd been speaking with Choumei.

"She told me. Choumei, she talks to me in my mind."

"And you call this control?"

"We work together. She won't intentionally cause harm to me, the village, or to anyone of our village."

"Not causing harm to you I can believe. If you die, she dies for a time until she comes back around. Others, the village, that is harder to believe."

"Then let me prove it to you. We won't hurt anybody."

"You will spar with Naruto, as neither of you can really kill each other."

"What? No!"

"You will prove to me you can maintain control by sparring with Naruto, or you will not train with your teammates."

"But-"

"That is my final decision, Ayami. Your sparring match with Naruto will be tomorrow, to avoid loss of training time. Did you know you've already been a Genin for two weeks?"

"I know."

"You are dismissed, team fourteen."

We walked downstairs silently. When we got outside, Niyana Sensei was waiting.

"Already had your visit?"

"I did. She found me on the way to her house, actually. How was your conference with the Hokage?"

"I have to spar with Naruto tomorrow, to prove I have control over Choumei," I said, grateful that in the ending hours of the afternoon, the area seemed unoccupied. No one would overhear us.

"And do you have control over Choumei? I know your emotions betray you both, like if you are angry."

I narrowed my eyes. She was trying to make me angry, but still, the reference to our talk outside of the Kazekage's tower in Suna annoyed me.

"I can learn to control my emotions. That is easier than controlling a demon. But I don't have to force my control. Choumei gives it to me willingly. She enjoys her hosts."

"You've been speaking with her. We've told you experimenting with this is dangerous and you just don't get it!"

Niyana approached me, an arm raised. I raised my own arms in defense. The hand signals were completed and the jutsu created before I knew what Choumei was doing.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Shield!"

Niyana struck her hand against the shield. She wasn't shocked, but the heat left an angry red mark on the back of her hand. Looking to either of my sides, I saw Miyugi and Trigyoko both also safely inside my shield. The shield had grown to protect them, as well.

When the crackling energy faded, Niyana just stared.

"You tried to hit her," Trigyoko said solemnly. "This isn't training, or sparring, or a match, or a battle. This is just a normal time, and you tried to hit her."

"She burned me."

"She defended herself, and us," Miyugi said.

"She could have chosen several different ways to do that, but instead she let Choumei create that barrier."

"It's the best defense I know," was all I could find to say.

"And did you purposely include Miyugi and Trigyoko into your defensive shield, or was that just an accident?"

"I did it on instinct, but I was thinking about protecting all of us from wherever your blow may have landed. It was not accidental that they were protected."

"You still burned me."

"It was self defense. When one thing didn't get a reaction, you tried another. I defended us from any abuse."

"Were you abused when you were a child?"

"I only had one friend as a child. Other than her, I was alone."

"How were you doing in Academy, in Kumo?"

"I would assume quite well, considering the jutsu I know."

"You will spar with Naruto tomorrow. We're behind in training. I'm going to the hospital to have this treated."

We watched her walk away. I knew it was part of her testing me, but I still felt on edge. My Sensei didn't like me. She would train me, but she didn't like me. And the only reason I could come up with was because I was a Jinchuuriki.

"What do you guys want to do next?" I asked when I couldn't bare the silence.

"We could go get some ramen at Ichiraku's," Miyugi suggested.

"Okay. Then I need you guys to help me with something."

"What is it?" Trigyoko asked.

"I'll tell you after we eat."

We walked off towards the ramen shop. I looked back over my shoulder once, looking up to the window. The Hokage was frowning into the distance. He seemed troubled by our Sensei's actions. He wasn't the only one.

After eating enough bowls of ramen to match Naruto, the three of us started passing out cookies. Everyone thanked us and enjoyed them. I didn't even reach the bottom of the second of four baskets before it got too dark to keep going.

I smiled as I took a shower to get rid of the sand. When I was sure I'd gotten the last of the grit out of my hair and off my skin, I finally climbed out. As I laid in bed, trying to fall asleep, my mind kept drifting to that moment, when Niyana's hand had struck the shield. I curled up over myself, scrunched in a tiny ball. I was scared of Niyana Sensei. When left to herself, her anger flared. She acted more like a demon than Choumei and I did.

Needless to say, it took a long time for me to fall asleep. My complete exhaustion saved me from any visitors in my sleep, but the fright of the afternoon hung with me.

In the morning, waking up before dawn, at four, I got dressed and prepared as I normally would. Then I set out for training ground seven. I was apprehensive at seeing Niyana again, but I wouldn't let Miyugi and Trigyoko down.

"Ayami!" Miyugi called as soon as I arrived. I was early, so how early had he been?

"Hey! How long have you been waiting?"

"Just a couple minutes. My brother, Anteri, had to leave early for a mission, so I saw him off."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah, he's a Chunin."

"That's cool. Do you have any other siblings?"

"Nah, just my brother." Without having met his brother, it was hard to imagine Miyugi having a family. The concept of family was foreign to me, having grown up without one of my own, really. I was an only child, and my parents had almost never been around, from the looks of things.

"Hey, hey!" Trigyoko called as he came up.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. Just got an early start today."

"Good. Because you two have a lot of work to do if you want to watch Ayami spar with Naruto," Niyana said, appearing from behind a tree.

"Sensei," both boys said, bowing.

"No respect, Ayami?"

"No. I lost respect for you yesterday. A true Sensei would not threaten or attempt to harm their students. You are not my Sensei."

"I will be your Sensei as long as you are part of this team, so get used to me."

"Niyana, you are not my Sensei, until you treat me like your student."

"You will address me properly, or not at all."

I didn't say anything in return. Both boys stared at me, slack jawed at my brazeness.

"Ayami."

"Niyana. If I remember right, the Kazekage said forgivness must be earned. He also said it wasn't him you should be apologizing to. Until now, I didn't realize who he thought you should apologize to."

I turned and started walking. When the boys put my arms over their shoulders, I smiled. We were a team. Already, we fought as one.

"Team fourteen, turn around and walk back here."

We walked through the woods, Niyana walking after us, yelling. When we reached the edge of the village, Niyana was quick to move and bar our way.

"You will return to the training field. Now."

"No. Until you treat us as your students, we will not treat you a our Sensei."

"You are my students, but you don't listen to me."

As we moved to walk past her, she drew three kunai, blurringly fast, like the last time we'd tried training. I shoved Miyugi and Trigyoko down and used my own kunai to deflect hers away. When you use lightning and wind jutsu, a lot of things seem slow that for others would be too quick to follow.

When I stood my ground, in a defensive stance, and did nothing, Niyana drew more kunai. I dodged one and deflected two more.

The ground trembled beneath our feet, but I wasn't worried. I wasn't Trigyoko's target. A dome of earth formed, encasing Niyana in it.

"She can stew in there until she finds her own way out," he said, taking a step forward. I held an arm out, stopping him.

"What is it?" Miyugi asked.

Niyana's fist burst through the dome. The rest crumbled around her. Turning on us, eyes blazing, she took it a step further.

"Fire Style: Heat Waves!"

My vision distorted. Was this genjutsu?

When the jutsu didn't fade or change, I cast a release.

My vision returned to see Niyana, hair aflame, attacking Miyugi. Trigyoko was laying on the ground. I ran to Miyugi, making hand signs.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Shield!" I yelled as I came between him and Niyana. The orb surrounded us, but Niyana didn't stop. She crashed directly into the shield, shocking and burning her.

When the jutsu faded, I yelled, "Go get help!" at Miyugi.

He ran inside the gate, yelling for help, and yelling for Kakashi.

I ran over to Trigyoko, carefully picking him up. He was kind of heavy, but I was just trying to get him over by Niyana. I set him down gently and looked him over.

He was unconscious, and I couldn't see any obvious marks. I could only hope that he wsn't injured physically as well.

Looking at Niyana, she was covered in burns. Several looked pretty bad, others not so much. She was lucky because she used fire jutsu, so the burns weren't as severe as they could have been. Still, she didn't look good. Lightning still occasionally crackled over her body.

Imagining the power I would have needed to cause such damage to the Sensei, and to keep her from getting through the barrier, I was astounded. I wasn't even tired.

Niyana 's hair was no longer aflame. In fact, she looked at peace right now. Worried, but otherwise at peace. She wasn't angry.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I can't...control...control...I'm sorry..." she murmured in unconsciousness. I felt her forehead. She was burning up!

"Ayami!"

"Miyugi! She has a fever, and Trigyoko is unconscious!"

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, kneeling beside me.

"I don't know! She just got angry again last night and tried to hit me. And then this morning she got angry again. She was going to attack Miyugi with taijutsu, and I didn't know if he was still under the effects of her genjutsu, so I just cast my shield. She didn't even pause, just ran right into it. And, Trigyoko, I was still under her genjutsu. I don't know what she did."

"None of this is your fault, or Niyana's. There has been trouble in the Land of Tea, and Niyana is on a medication for a disease that causes her to get angry easily and lose all sense of herself. The medication comes from the Land of Tea, but with their troubles, her medication has not been arriving here."

"Is there no Jounin to go take care of it?"

"There is, but the Land of Tea hasn't requested any help."

"They have to request our help?"

"Yes. We were lucky in our trip to Suna that they let us in the gate. Most lands are not so kind."

"Don't we have an alliance with Sunagakure?"

"A very fragile alliance."

Kakashi touched Niyana gently, but took his hand away when the electrical energy crackled.

"You must have been very worried. For the energy to still be in her system as strong as it is, you had to have a very powerful shield. Are you tired at all?"

"Not a bit. I carried Trigyoko over here from there," I said, pointing to the place where I'd first seen Trigyoko unconscious.

"Not even a bit tired?"

"No."

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Can you carry Trigyoko to the hospital, you think?"

"Maybe. I might need Miyugi's help."

"Do it. Niyana's burns need taking care of, but I can't find anything physically wrong with Trigyoko."

Kakashi was careful before touching Niyana. Still his hand came back again.

"Even I cannot stand to touch this. I use lightning jutsu as well, but I can't touch this. Can you touch her without harm?"

"Yes. Before you got here I felt her forehead. She has a fever."

"I imagine so. She's been burned and she's still electrified. I'm going to teach you a jutsu to remove the electricity. It can only be done while touching your target, or I'd do it myself."

He showed me the lightning hand sign, which I knew, then a removal sign, and a chakra sign.

"And the words you say are the style, of course, and charge removal. Be careful when you remove the electricity, because until you give it somewhere to go, and release it, it will stay in your hand. This is how lightning users use so little chakra when they fight during a storm. They take the lightning out of the air for their use."

"Lightning Style: Charge Removal," I said, feeling the rush of the crackling energy suddenly being in my palm.

"Put it in the ground or the sky."

I touched my palm to the ground, and the energy dispersed into the earth. Kakashi picked up Niyana, and Miyugi and I supported Trigyoko between us. We leapt across the rooftops to the hospital.

"What happened?" one of the attendants asked at the front desk. Kakashi described what had happened and Niyana's lack of medications.

"Come, this way. The boy, too. We will put them in adjacent rooms."

Niyana's room was one to the right of Trigyoko's. Miyugi and I carefully put Trig into the bed.

_Trig. I like that. It's fitting for him. It almost sounds like trick, and he likes to be a trick so Miyugi or I can get in. I think I'll call him that from now on. The nickname will bring us closer as a team, too._

When Trig was resting soundly, a nurse came in to check on him. Miyugi and I left to go see how Niyana was doing.

We weren't allowed in. We walked back to the waiting area dejectedly. Kakashi was also apparently unallowed to enter, because he was sitting on one of the benches, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. The eye we could see was closed.

We sat on the bench across from him and stayed silent. If he was sleeping, we didn't want to disturb him, and if not, we didn't want to disturb the silence. Here, it felt like if we did, we would lose our small grip on ourselves.

"Ayami, do not feel bad about this, or any of the other incidences between you and Niyana. You were right to defend yourself and your teammates in any way possible since you did not know her condition. And the other incidences weren't your fault either. Do not feel bad for anything you said during those times. You didn't know."

"Does she hate me now? I mean, if she didn't before, she probably does now."

"No, she doesn't hate you. In fact, when she wakes up, after getting some medication, she'll be herself again. She'll probably want to thank you for not being scared to do something, even though she is your Sensei. And you protected not only yourself, but your comrades, too."

"I was too slow realizing she'd used a genjutsu. I couldn't help Trig," I said, hanging my head.

"You tried your best. I'm sure it was frightening just seeing one of your own village attack you."

"No, I should've realized sooner. I wasn't thinking fast enough."

"Do not blame yourself too much. She is a Jounin, and you a Genin. You are very talented for your age."

"I graduated Academy at age thirteen. That's hardly impressive."

"You don't use Genin level jutsu. You were something else before coming here. You probably graduated Academy very young in Kumo."

I said nothing. I didn't know. There was too much I didn't know about my past.

"What time is it?" Miyugi asked after a long while.

"About eight o'clock. Why?"

"I have a sparring match with Naruto," I said.

"Ah, yes. That isn't until ten. You will make it in time. I'm curious to see what happens when two Jinchuuriki battle."

"But I don't want to fight him. He's my friend, and another ninja of the leaf. My comrade."

"Comrades train together, and spar with each other to get better. This is only sparring. This is not a real fight. Naruto understands this. Everything will be alright."

"I don't want to hurt him," I whispered.

"That's exactly what this sparring match is for. To prove that you are in control and won't harm others."

"But what if I lose control? What if I fail? I won't be able to train with my team anymore. And you have to take some exams as a team. We won't work as well together."

"I have faith in you, Ayami."

"No you don't. You're scared of me. That isn't faith."

"I am not scared of you. What is there to fear of a thirteen year old girl, a friend to me, no less?"

"I'm your friend?"

"You are," he said, opening his eye to look at me. I couldn't see his smile beneath his mask, but I knew it was there.

"And you're really not scared of me?"

"No, I'm not. I got over my fear in Sunagakure. Your friend Gaara is right. I should not fear you for something that isn't your fault. I should make my judgements off of you, the girl I know and see in front of me."

I could only stare as Kakashi's eye closed again. He'd just agreed with Gaara.

"Oh, and before I forget again," Kakashi said, his eye wide open, and smiling again. "I'm sorry, Ayami, for my behavior towards you in Suna. You cannot be held responsible for the abilities having Choumei inside you gives you. That speed that you have is something else. It could be very helpful."

"Kakashi, why is it that even though you use lightning jutsu as well, you couldn't touch Niyana?"

"I suspect part of it has to do with Choumei. The other part is because you are fast. Faster than Sasuke, faster than me, even. And the electricity was moving as fast as you. Too fast for me to touch. You run as fast as lightning. People see you after you're already gone. You can use this to your advantage."

"Kakashi, who will train our team with Niyana Sensei unable to?"

"The Jounin who train others, including myself, will assist in your training until Niyana is able to have that pleasure herself again."

"I'm not a pleasure. I'm probably too difficult and uncontrollable for her to ever enjoy having me around. Let alone having to train me."

"Wait. You will see. Niyana is actually a very lind person when she has the medications she needs."

"When do you think she will be able to get her medicine again?"

"Hopefully we will get word from the Land of Tea soon."

We fell silent, and Kakashi's eye closed. Eventually, a nurse came.

"Your teammate will be fine. He was simply put to sleep by a jutsu. Niyana has some control, even in her enraged state. She was trying not to truely harm anyone."

"Trig will be okay? Can he leave?"

"Well, I'd hope so. That's what they told me," he said, smiling as he came around a corner.

"Trig!" Miyugi and I yelled, embracing our teammate.

"Hey, guys. Come on, don't suffocate me, I'm fine."

"If you hadn't had a way to release the jutsu, when would he have woken up?" Miyugi asked.

"Tomorrow morning. But I heard that you have a sparring match with Naruto today, Ayami. I thought you might like the support of your teammates, since your Sensei is unable to attend."

"Is Niyana Sensei going to be okay?" I asked in a hushed voice. I was scared to know, but I had to.

"She will be. Her burns mostly looked worse than they were, and the electricity didn't harm any of her organs. She may be unconscious for a few days, but then she will make a swift recovery. We will keep her here until we get her medicine, though. In her right mind, that's what she would want. She wouldn't want to risk hurting any of you again. Just knowing she'd tried to attack you will make her feel terrible. She's been off medication since two days before you left."

"Is there any way of knowing when the Land of Tea will be able to send her medicine again?"

"No."

"So why can't someone ask to go get it? Surely we are allowed to ask permission to enter their lands, and retrieve her medicine?"

"They are having trouble sending mail. Getting mail in return is even harder. We will be lucky if a message wouldn't fall into enemy hands. Then Niyana's condition could be used against the village."

"I understand. I just wish we could get her medicine. I've been waiting to be a Genin since I started at Academy here, and now I would like to train as a whole team."

"You must first win your sparring match with Naruto."

"No. I don't need to win. In fact, I'm going to lose. But I'm going to keep control."

"Keep control?"

_So there are some in the village who don't know._

"I'm surprised you don't already know. You see, three years ago, I was a ten year old little girl, and I arrived here in a storm. I'm a Jinchuuriki."

The nurse nodded, but didn't seem frightened or noticably surprised.

"Glod luck, then, Ayami Mitsuki. I have faith in both you and Naruto."

"Is it time to go, Kakashi Sensei?"

"It is. We must prepare you, and Naruto both. You have to remember, this is a test for him as well."

"What about Niyana Sensei?"

"She'll be well looked after here. No need to worry."

Kakashi led us out, and Miyugi and Trigyoko picked me up on their shoulders between them.

"Why?" I asked simply.

"Because we're supporting you," Trig said, grinning. I grinned back, coming to realize my vision was completely normal again. I hadn't noticed on our way back from Suna, but my vision was returned, and I wasn't using Choumei's eagle-like vision.

I was so glad to have my team's support.


	13. The Test

**When we arrived, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the Hokage were waiting. They were the only ones I could see, but that didn't mean others weren't around.**

**"****Hey, Ayami!" Naruto called. He seemed strangely enthusiastic.**

**I gave him a wane smile and a wave.**

**"****Ayami," the Hokage said, nodding his head.**

**"****Hokage, sir," I replied in the same way.**

**"****Alright, well, we all know why we're here. We must make sure our village is safe, that we do not have unstable Jinchuuriki running about."**

**"****What if one of us is unstable?"**

**"****Then we will strengthen the seals that bind the beast inside you."**

**"****And if that doesn't work?"**

**"****We'll think about that later."**

**_So my guess is right. If they can't strengthen the seals to make us gain complete control, they'll kill us._**

**I glared defiantly at the Hokage. He remained stone faced, but I could see by the surprise in his eyes that he knew I'd figured it out.**

**"****Are you both ready?" the Hokage asked.**

**"****I am!" Naruto yelled.**

**I gave a slight nod.**

**"****Then, begin!"**

**I turned to Naruto, and I called Choumei in my mind.**

**_Yes, Ayami? Is everything okay?_**

**_We have been forced into a sparring match with Naruto. He's a Jinchuuriki, like us. I don't remember the name of the beast inside him, only that it's the nine tailed fox._**

**_Kurama!_**

**_Choumei, what do we do?_**

**_Kurama and Naruto are strong, when they work together properly. They do not have the strongest bond. We are a strong team. Even if they trusted each other more, it would still be an unpredictable outcome. There is no way to read this fight._**

**_So, you don't know what to do?_**

**_It is a game of action and reaction. We just have to work together._**

**_Okay._**

**Naruto leapt at me, and we spun away, coming around to his back and kicking him, using his momentum against him.**

**Naruto got back up, a red aura glowing around him. He was going into his miniature form. He was already using Kurama's power.**

**_Choumei, what do we do?_**

**_We must also go into miniature mode._**

**_What does that mean for me?_**

**_An increase in power, the ability to fly, and after you may find yourself wanting to change some of your appearance._**

**_Why?_**

**_Because you'll begin to resemble me the more our bond grows._**

**_Like Naruto's whiskers and Gaara's black rings around his eyes?_**

**_Exactly like that, though I don't know of any physical traits you may adopt from me._**

**_How do we go into miniature mode?_**

**_Just feel for my chakra. It will come to you easily._**

**I felt within me. I could feel the power. I was about to grab it when a brute force crashed into me. I fell back.**

**Naruto crouched over me, his eyes red, his fingernails claws, his whiskers more prominent, and the red aura shining in my eyes.**

**_You must learn to be able to speak with me and keep track of the battle at the same time._**

**_I know._**

**I reached for the power again, also kicking at Naruto's chest, sending him flying over my head. Choumei's chakra flowed into mine, and I felt my strength surge instantly.**

**I stood, turning to Naruto. I raised my hands as he dashed towards me, noticing a orange glow around my hands. Something was attached to my back that wasn't normally there. My eyes were Choumei's again.**

**"****What are you?" Naruto's voice growled. It wasn't Naruto asking.**

**"****No one to be trifled with," our combined, empowered voice replied.**

**"****Neither am I. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

**I stared as suddenly there were five Naruto's before me. All five charged me, and signs and words flew from my hands and mouth.**

**"****Wind Style: Vortex Trap."**

**All five Naruto's froze in place. Four disappeared, along with the traps I'd caught them in. The real Naruto was directly in front of me.**

**"****Wind Style: Silence."**

**Silent winds roared around us. They would block any words we exchanged from others.**

**"****So, what is it you want?" Naruto asked. It still wasn't him.**

**"****Did I say I wanted something?"**

**"****You didn't have to."**

**_What do you want, Ayami?_**

**"****Well, since you're asking, I've lost some of the knowledge I had before coming to this place. I want you to help me get that knowledge back."**

**"****I could simply unblock your memories, but that would be very unpleasant, and the beast inside you would fight against me, causing you pain. I doubt you want that."**

**"****No need. All you have to do is just push us to our limits. We'll take care of the rest."**

**"****Very well. You shall relearn."**

**"****Just like that?"**

**"****You will owe me a favor one day. You will have no choice but to follow my call, should the favor be reasonable."**

**"****Deal."**

**The winds abided and I glanced at the sky. It was a clear morning. There were no storms in sight to help me.**

**Naruto slammed into me again, and we wrestled on the ground, rolling over and over as we fought for control. He pinned me before leaping straight up, kunai racing down towards me as he threw them. It was an entire barrage.**

**"****Lightning Style: Lightning Force!"**

**The shield form sprang out of my hands and pushed all the kunai aside, sending them flying into trees bushes, and the dirt around me. The form itself crashed into Naruto, who dropped like a rock to the ground at my feet. I got up and crouched next to his head, breathing out lightly when I saw his chest move.**

**His eyes flashed open and one hand grabbed me by the neck. Naruto was not in control. Black and white spots danced in my eyes as I was choked by Naruto's grip.**

**"****Naruto," I managed to gasp out. "Naruto…take...back control. You...can't let...Kurama...fight for...you. This...is...our test. We have...to...prove...ourselves."**

**My vision went completely black, and my lungs screamed, I couldn't speak anymore, and the only thing I heard was my frantic heart and blood roaring in my ears.**

**I blinked, my eyes flicking into clarity. I was still laying in the dirt, but Choumei's hand signs and whispered plea of a jutsu had worked. Naruto was covered in a sparkling powder.**

**_What was that?_**

**_A special ability having me inside you grants you, the Hiden: Scale Powder Technique._**

**I got up slowly, my legs shaky beneath me.**

**_You cannot fight on your legs in this condition. Take to the air._**

**_What do you mean?_**

**_Beat the wings our joint form gives you!_**

**An odd sensation at the base of the shapes attached to my shoulder blades accompanied my lifting into the sky. It was so strange, my feet being in the air without anything beneath me holding me up.**

**"****So, you fly. Let us test those wings. Shadow Clone Jutsu. Fire Style: Exploding Flame Shot!"**

**So many balls of flame shot towards me. I let my jutsu flow together as I cried, "Lightning Style: Lightning Shield. Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Running Technique."**

**An electrical hound leapt out of the lightning already present in my shield. It was attached to my hand by threads of chakra that were also charged with electricity. Before I knew it, all the clones were gone, and Naruto was on the ground again, my beast snarling and crackling over him. The beast was careful not to touch him, however.**

**I took a kunai from my pocket as I strode forward, releasing the beast, which leapt into the ground with a happy bark. I knelt over Naruto before he could get up, holding the kunai against him. He froze.**

**As Kurama's energy left him, Naruto returned to himself. He appeared to have full recollection of the battle, as he didn't seem surprised to find me over him.**

**_Choumei, this battle is won._**

**_Release._**

**The whispered thought came with the loss of Choumei's energy. I was a regular Shinobi, panting and still as I was after beating a friend.**

**"****Well done, Ayami," Kakashi said. I stood and backed up before offering my empty hand to Naruto. He took it and smiled as he got up.**

**"****Great job! I didn't know if it was really possible for a Jinchuuriki to beat another Jinchuuriki or if they would both just end up exhausted on the ground."**

**"****Well done, to the both of you. That was an excellent sparring match. However, neither of you have passed this test," the Hokage said.**

**"****What?!"**

**"****How can that be?"**

**"****Neither of you kept control of the beasts inside you."**

**"****But we did. I was in control, even as Choumei instructed me on jutsu to use along with the ones I knew."**

**"****How many did you know before this match?"**

**"****Four of the six. But this is beside the point. You are not a Jinchuuriki, and can not tell properly when we are and are not in control. Naruto and I both knew what we were doing the entire time."**

**The Hokage looked between us. I was good at lying, but I wasn't sure Naruto was. When the Hokage nodded, relief swept over me. We'd done it! We'd be training with our teams!**

**"****You have both passed. Congratulations. I expect you to be training as soon as possible."**

**He walked away, smoking his pipe. He only looked back once, and he only looked at Naruto. Just another person who saw me as beneath notice unless I was threatening something important to him.**

**"****Ayami, that was awesome!" Miyugi yelled as he tossed me up, catching me on his shoulders.**

**"****I can't believe you flew! And I was sure Naruto had you when he grabbed by the neck, but you totally wiped him out!" Trig joined in, enthused about my win.**

**"****Hey, Naruto, great job. We should train together sometime. Mind meeting me for lunch at noon tomorrow, for ramen?"**

**"****Yeah! I have coupons!"**

**"****See you at noon. Kakashi Sensei, did you need to speak with me?"**

**"****Later. I'll see you all after lunch. You'll train with me for the afternoon."**

**I nodded, and Miyugi turned to leave. He'd only taken a step when a hand touched mine.**

**"****You did amazing, Ayami. I'm sorry I ever doubted your intentions or whether you really should have graduated. I'm sorry for thinking you were a threat to me and to others, and I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel alone in this village."**

**"****It's fine. Your apology is enough. You don't have to make any big speeches or anything."**

**She smiled before running back and rejoining Naruto. While my gaze was still there, Sasuke caught my eye and raised a hand in a wave. I nodded and grinned in acknowledgement before Miyugi started carrying me away.**

**"****How about we go see Niyana Sensei?" Trig asked.**

**"****Yes. I would like to visit her, if we're allowed."**

**We were almost to the hospital before she appeared. A small, beaten, abandoned, rugged looking girl. A flash of light, and then, there she was.**

**"****Help…" she whispered as she collapsed.**

**I dropped off Miyugi's shoulders and ran to the girl, picking her up gingerly.**

**"****Another injury?"**

**"****She just appeared outside the hospital. She asked for help before she collapsed, so I brought her inside."**

**"****Bring her this way."**

**I followed the nurse, and we went into the same room Trig had been in while he was unconscious.**

**"****Would you like to see your Sensei?"**

**"****Yes. That's what we came here for."**

**"****Then go see her, while I tend to this girl."**

**"****Do you know when she may wake up?"**

**"****Give it a couple hours. I'll send word to you by a messenger. By right, you have the privilege of being one of the first to speak with her, after finding her."**

**"****Then send word as soon as she wakes."**

**"****Of course."**

**We left and went to Niyana's room. Inside, the room was almost identical to the one I'd had when I was ten, but the flowers in the vase were different. Tulips, red, orange, and pink tulips.**

**In the bed, with most of her body covered, Niyana looked almost normal, except for one red mark around a bandage covering a burn on her cheek.**

**"****Niyana Sensei? I'm not sure if you can hear me, but if you can, please listen. I'm sorry for all the things I said and for hurting you. I didn't know you had medication that you weren't receiving. I didn't know I could make that strong of a shield. And I'm so sorry for all of the things I didn't know. It could have saved us both a lot of pain. I can only imagine what it will feel like when you finally open your eyes."**

**"****Get well soon," Trig added.**

**"****Return to us so we can all learn as a team again," Miyugi said.**

**We all bowed, saying, "Sensei," in harmony, before leaving.**

**I checked a clock on the wall in the waiting room. It was only noon now.**

**"****What should we do with the rest of the day?" Trig asked.**

**I shrugged. I really didn't have any idea.**

**"****I think we all need to finish unpacking, and you might want to put that flower in some water," Miyugi said, pointing at the Dragon Lilly.**

**"****Oh, that's right. Thank you for reminding me. I do need to finish unpacking. I'll meet you guys for training tomorrow after lunch."**

**They waved before I ran back towards the orphanage. I ran upstairs to my room, which had a bathroom joined to it. That was the nice thing about being one of only three kids here. The other two, one an eight month old whose parents had died protecting the village and the other a nineteen year old girl who ran a bakery and was going to move out when she turned twenty, I had only seen in passing and occasionally at breakfast.**

**My room was pretty plain. Nothing on the walls, nothing personal on the shelves or desk, grey sheets on the bed, nothing really connecting this room to me. I never planned to stay here long. I still didn't plan to be here much longer.**

**I opened the mostly bare closet and took the backpack from the top shelf. It'd been a few days, but I still remembered everything about those last few moments with Kankuro. Him hugging me two seconds too long for just friendship. His present. And that captivating smile before he disappeared from sight.**

**I opened the backpack. Inside was a box, and in that box were several items. First, were several daily ninja tools, which I didn't mind. I could never have enough tools at my disposal. The second thing I found was a strange green stone, with a note tied to it saying:**

**__****Have this implanted in a protected spot in your body in a time of great need. It will protect you.**

**The last thing I found was a smaller box. Opening it revealed a black crystal gem. It was beaded onto a thin, flexible, but strong, metal wire.**

**_What is it, Choumei?_**

**_An item of great power. As is the green stone. Kankuro must care for you greatly to give these to you. Especially the crystal gem._**

**_It seems so ordinary._**

**_Kankuro sealed some of his own chakra into the gem. This gem will only respond to you and him._**

**_Why?_**

**_Because of its power. You will come to discover it on your own in time. Now, put it on, and hide it beneath your clothes. Many would risk death to get their hands on something like that._**

**_What about the rock?_**

**_Store it somewhere absolutely hidden and safe, until a time of need._**

**_Do you know of a place?_**

**_Go to the roof of the abandoned house on the outskirts of the village. You love it there, and no one else goes there. It will make a brilliant hiding place._**

**With a smile, I slipped out my window and jumped to the roof of the building across the road below. Dashing along the rooftops, I soon came to the outskirts, where there were few buildings and lots of land. Nearing the wall, I came upon the abandoned house.**

**The house was in nearly perfect condition, except for the cobwebs. It was entirely empty of all signs of life. It was as if the owner had packed their things, walked out, and never came back. It was a single story, with a cavelike basement below. A barn stood empty except for some old hay to the left. A cellar could be accessed from its side.**

**I went inside the old house and climbed up the secret stairwell I had found. I had wandered the house for days, wondering why it seemed so much bigger from the outside, until I stumbled on the marking carved in the middle of a blank wall. Pressing it, a wooden panel slid up, revealing another room on the right side of the house. It made up for all the missing space, as long as the house and at least ten feet wide.**

**Inside, the room had been empty, like the rest of the house, but the stairwell was in it. It led to the roof, which had a nice little rail around it, so you couldn't jump or climb up there. There wasn't anything on the roof, either. It was as empty as the rest of the house.**

**_How can I hide it here?_**

**_The secret room. I imagine one day, we will live here, but until then, you can hide it in the corner. We'll have to start bringing things here for us._**

**_Yes._**

**I stashed the stone back in the secret room, as Choumei had suggested, and left. It was getting close to dinner time, and I was craving one of Yenai, the orphanage caretaker's, homemade meals.**

**I climbed in the window and went downstairs, smelling food. Surprisingly, Vel, the nineteen year old bakery owner, was going to eat dinner with me tonight. Bino, the eight month old boy, was probably having a bath.**

**Dinner was quiet except for the clack of the silverware and the sound of chewing. Vel finished first and started loading the dishwasher. I was done not long after, and went back to my room. I took a book out of a drawer in the desk. My journal. I'd been keeping one since I'd woken up. Vel had suggested it to me, in case I ever lost my memories again. She'd given me the empty book and a good pencil, and I'd used them ever since.**

**I stroked the brown leather cover for a moment, unsure of what I needed to write. Probably everything about my sparring match with Naruto, and about Kankuro's special presents, and where I hid the stone.**

**After I'd written the today's important memories, I flipped back to yesterday's entry, rereading everything I'd written about Suna, Niyana Sensei, and my meeting with the Hokage.**

**_So much to happen in so little time._**

**_There are many more things to come in our life. I think the girl you helped is going to become very important in our life._**

**_Yes. There's something different about her. Something as different as there is about me._**

**I stashed my journal and pencil back in the desk, and put the empty backpack back in the closet. Tomorrow, I really started training.**


	14. A Home

**I woke up early, hearing a knock on the door. The orphanage door was never knocked on. At least, it hadn't since Bino was brought here. I suspected that was the only reason anyone ever knocked on the orphanage door. What poor kid had lost their family?"**

**There was a knock on my door.**

**"****Ayami, are you awake?"**

**"****Yes, Yenai."**

**"****There is someone waiting downstairs for you."**

**I looked at my clock. It was only four in the morning. I was unsurprised by Yenai's early rising. But it was strange for me to be woken so easily.**

**I changed clothes as quickly as I could manage, checking to make sure I had all my tools and double checking the necklace Kankuro had given me was on, safe, and hidden beneath my clothes.**

**When I came downstairs to the living room, a strange Shinobi was standing next to the fireplace, admiring one of Yenai's creations on the mantel, a beautiful clay plate she had made when she was young. Yenai had wanted to be an artist before she took over the orphanage and started helping kids.**

**"****Who are you?"**

**"****Tolyb, Miss Mitsuki."**

**"****Please, just call me Ayami. I've never been addressed by my last name. I don't know the family it belongs to. Until I do, I'm just Ayami."**

**"****O-of course, Ay...Ayami."**

**"****Is there something you needed, Tolyb?"**

**"****One of the nurses at the hospital sent me with a message. The girl has woken up. She refuses to speak to anyone but the girl she asked for help, which...is you."**

**"****She's awake?"**

**"****She is. She's looking much better now than she was earlier."**

**"****Thank you for the message!" I called over my shoulder as I raced out the door. I had to use the doorframe to turn myself in the right direction.**

**I raced through the streets to the hospital. One of the nurses nodded at me as I passed. I didn't need to ask for directions, I remembered where the room was.**

**When I entered her room, the girl's head turned, and her gaze locked with mine.**

**"****You're the girl who carried me in here.**

**"****I am. My name is Ayami. Ayami Mitsuki."**

**"****Ayami, you don't look like the other villagers here. You're from a different land, aren't you?"**

**"****The Land of Lightning."**

**"****I'm from the Land of Sound."**

**"****Where is that?"**

**"****Hidden. It isn't a pleasant place."**

**"****Where is your family?"**

**"****Dead."**

**"****I'm sorry."**

**"****It's alright. I don't remember much about them. They died while I was young."**

**"****What's your name?"**

**"****Hikari Akane."**

**"****Why were you so hurt when you got here? How did you just appear in light?"**

**"****I was being chased by other rogues. Evil ones. Those that work for Orochimaru."**

**My eyes widened.**

**"****You know of Orochimaru?"**

**"****He's taken over the Land of Sound. Of course I do. I ran away because I hated it there. Most of the others...they're so mean, and they hurt others. I didn't want to be a part of it."**

**"****What about the light?"**

**"****A jutsu I learned from my mother, when she was alive. I remembered it all these years, in case I needed to escape."**

**"****What level of ninja are you?"**

**"****A Genin. I graduated when I was seven. I'm twelve now. I've been on the run for three years. I don't know how Orochimaru's followers found me."**

**"****I'm a Genin, too."**

**"****How did you end up here, as a ninja of the leaf? Shouldn't you be back in your home in the Land of Lightning?"**

**"****Orochimaru sent me dreams and visions. One night in my sleep, he made me walk miles from my village. I didn't know the way back, so I kept walking. It took me a long time to get through the mountains. I collapsed during a storm outside this village. I've never tried to go back to Kumo, and Orochimaru hasn't been able to force me to go to him."**

**"****What about your family in Kumo?"**

**"****I don't know. I didn't know I was from Kumo until this past week, from a memory I relived in a dream."**

**"****That's horrible. How do you not remember?"**

**"****I don't know. Some combination of the storm, Orochimaru messing with my head, and the fact that I'm a Jinchuuriki caused the memories to get locked away in my mind. I've only seen one of my old memories so far. But that's not all that important right now. How are you feeling?"**

**"****Better, now that I'm not running and the cuts have been treated."**

**"****Do you have anywhere to go?"**

**"****Not after I leave this hospital."**

**"****It's a miracle you're alive."**

**"****How old were you when you left Kumo?"**

**"****Eight."**

**"****Then it's a miracle that you are still alive, as well."**

**"****Why did you refuse to speak to anyone but me?"**

**"****I trust you. You saved me. I asked for help, and you helped me. You must be a good person."**

**My surprise perplexed her.**

**"****Jinchuuriki, huh? What is that, anyways?"**

**"****A human host who has had a tailed beast, a Bijuu, sealed inside of them."**

**"****Oh. I don't know what that means."**

**"****I'll explain it sometime. It's a long, and kind of complicated story."**

**"****Okay. I think I will go back to sleep. I'm really tired. Can you come visit me again later?"**

**"****I will. I promise." She smiled before laying down again. She was snoring softly as I closed the door.**

**"****What did you find out, Ayami?" the Hokage asked.**

**I turned towards him.**

**"****Her name is Hikari. She ran away from the sound village. She didn't say much more than that. She's asleep now."**

**The Hokage walked with me down the hallway.**

**"****You seem to dislike me, Ayami. Is there a particular reason for that?"**

**"****I don't know. Is there a reason you don't like me?"**

**"****I like you very much."**

**I laughed humorlessly.**

**"****Yeah, right. That's why you treat me like dirt."**

**"****Ayami, I must protect the village. I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings, but the village's safety comes before my kindness to a student."**

**"****The only reason you allow me to stay here is because I'm powerful. Useful to you. But if I didn't have Choumei inside me, you'd send me back to Kumo."**

**"****If you didn't have Choumei inside you, you wouldn't be the same person. But I care about you, Ayami, not your power. By the way, there is a strange chakra around you. I can sense your normal chakra, and Choumei inside of you, but there is another power with you."**

**"****A friend of mine gave me a present."**

**"****May I see it?"**

**"****Promise you won't take it for safekeeping or whatever."**

**"****Of course. This was a personal gift from your friend. I won't take something your friend gave you to help you."**

**I pulled the crystal gem out from under my top and lifted it over my head. The Hokage looked at it thoughtfully before handing it back to me, the wire folding and coiling over itself. I put it back on, hiding the gem under my shirt.**

**"****What gave you the idea to hide it like that?"**

**"****Choumei told me I should."**

**"****Your Bijuu is very smart."**

**Pride filled me for Choumei.**

**"****Do you know what it is? All Choumei knew was that my friend had put some of their chakra inside of it, that it would only respond to me and my friend, and that I should hide it under my clothes because others might try to take it."**

**"****She is right on all of those things. There are many of these gems in the world, and each is very unique and special."**

**"****Why?"**

**"****Because the power depends on the intent of the one who fills it with chakra, the color of the crystal used, the power of the chakra, and other variables."**

**"****So, only I can discover it's powers?"**

**"****Yes."**

**"****How are these made?"**

**"****First, the crystals can be found in mines and such things. A skilled artisan can cut and shape the crystal into a gem. Then, a person would simply separate a portion of their chakra, and infuse it into the crystal."**

**"****So, does that mean it's an endless source of chakra? Like, the portion infused in it, that used to be part of my friend, will that chakra replenish each day in this necklace now?"**

**"****Indeed. And it will continue to store up as more days pass. There is no limit to how much chakra can be stored in the gem, which is where a great part of it's value lies. It also lies in whose chakra is stored inside."**

**"****But if it will only respond to me and my friend, why would someone take it?"**

**"****There is a way to transfer the the piece of chakra to another crystal. That crystal would respond to the person who transferred the chakra. In this way, the crystal becomes valuable to others."**

**"****Can it break?"**

**"****Not easily. It would take a very large amount of chakra. And even then, the crystal would have to have some kind of seal or something similar that is trying to restrain that chakra. Left as it is, the necklace will likely never break."**

**"****I didn't know I had a friend that cared about me that much, to give me such a priceless gift. A piece of their chakra…"**

**"****If it a young friend, say, about your age, giving you a piece of their chakra isn't quite such a big deal. That piece will replace itself in a child, and grow further. Your given piece will just be a small extra that was taken. But, you're right. Your friend cares about you very much."**

**"****Thank you very much, Hokage, sir."**

**I bowed quickly, and turned to leave, then went back.**

**"****Sir, do you know of the abandoned house on the outskirts of the village?"**

**"****Which one?"**

**"****The one that looks almost brand new. It's a single story, with a barn next to it, and a cellar beneath the barn. There a railing around the edge of the roof of the house, and the basement looks like a cave."**

**"****Ah, the only one you've been visiting," the Hokage said, a smile making wrinkles appear next to his eyes.**

**"****Yes, sir," I said, hiding my face.**

**"****Do not be ashamed of visiting a house no one lives in or owns."**

**"****Well, sir, I was wondering if I could buy it."**

**"****Buy it from whom? I told you before, nobody owns it."**

**"****Is there any way I could come into ownership of it?"**

**"****Of course. I'll give you the deed tomorrow."**

**"****Just like that?"**

**"****Ayami, I've been wondering when you would come ask me for that house ever since the first time you found it. For whatever reason, nobody else wants it, and you love the place so much, I'm happy to give it to you."**

**"****I don't have to pay for it or anything?"**

**"****You'll have to buy the furniture and other things you need yourself. And you'll have to buy your own food, but everything else is supplied by the village, as it is for all of those of the leaf."**

**"****There's only one problem. I don't have any money."**

**"****You do. You earn money for completing missions. And when you're short on missions, you can always ask around the village for work. I'm sure the farmers wouldn't mind paying you for your help."**

**"****Thank you so much, Hokage, sir!" I shouted with glee, hugging my village leader. He hugged me back for a moment before I took off down the hall. I had to tell Yenai.**

**I nearly ran into Vel in the door.**

**"****Woah there, Ayami. What's got you so excited?"**

**"****Come with me, and I'll tell you! Where's Yenai?"**

**In the kitchen making breakfast, but I have to get to work."**

**"****I want to tell you this first."**

**"****She looked out the open door then back at me.**

**"****Alright, I suppose I can spare a couple more minutes."**

**I ran to the kitchen, and Vel walked after me, shaking her head and laughing at my antics.**

**"****Yenai! You'll never believe this."**

**"****Believe what?"**

**"****The Hokage is giving me a house!"**

**"****What?"**

**"****No way!" Vel cried from the door.**

**"****It's this really nice place on the outskirts of the village."**

**"****And he's just going to give it to you?" Vel asked with skepticism.**

**"****Nobody else wants it, and I've been visiting it for a couple years now. I really love it there."**

**"****I hope you don't mind me coming over to visit," Yenai said.**

**"****Of course not. I just have to clean it up a bit, first.**

**"****You know what? I'll help you with that. I'm off this Saturday," Vel said, smiling.**

**"****Really?"**

**"****Yeah. You're like a kid sister to me, Ayami. But I have to be allowed to visit, too," she said in a mock serious tone, a teasing smile making her look more around my age.**

**"****Of course! Bino can come over, too."**

**"****When will the Hokage give you the deed?" Yenai asked.**

**"****Tomorrow. I figured I could go ahead and start cleaning some on Friday, so I don't interfere with my training."**

**"****A wise idea."**

**"****I've gotta run, kiddo. I'll see you later, okay?" Vel said.**

**"****Yeah. Bye, Vel."**

**She waved before leaving quickly. I hoped I didn't make her late.**

**"****What are you going to do this morning?"**

**"****First, I'm gonna eat some of the delicious breakfast you're making."**

**Yenai laughed. "And then what will my little champion do?"**

**"****Train on my own for a little while. Then I'll help you take care of Bino for a couple hours before noon. I'm meeting Naruto for lunch."**

**"****It's nice to see you making friends and getting more involved in the village. When you first came to me, you spoke minimally. You'd only talk when someone asked you a question, and only came down from your room for meals."**

**"****I remember I was scared of Vel, because she was so much older and seemed strange."**

**"****Yes. Well, you'd best get in here and eat, so you can get to your training."**

**That was Yenai. Always making sure I was doing my best.**

**I ate fairly quickly before heading to my soon to be house. I figured I could train in the enormous yard.**

**"****Hey, Ayami!" Miyugi called from behind me.**

**I turned my head, seeing him running out of a building about two blocks back.**

**"****Wait up!"**

**I stopped, turning half way around so I could watch him coming. I shoved my hands in my pockets because they felt awkward just being there, doing nothing.**

**"****Sup?" I asked him.**

**"****Nothing. I'm bored. Where you heading?"**

**"****The Hokage is giving me a house. I figured I'd go train there, you know? Help with the positive forces and all."**

**"****Is it a nice house?"**

**"****Why don't you come with and find out for yourself?"**

**"****Cool. I'll train with you, too."**

**I nodded, and kept walking, Miyugi at my side.**

**When we were almost out of the shopping district, another person called my name.**

**"****Ayami! Miyugi! Where you guys goin?" Trig asked as he ran after us.**

**"****Ayami is getting her own place, and she wants to go train there."**

**"****Miyugi is tagging along to see it," I explained.**

**"****Mind if I come, too? After all, as a team, we'll probably be over a lot. Might as well learn where it is now."**

**"****Sure. Why not? First ones I show might as well be my team."**

**We reached the outskirts a while later. Since we were just walking the roads, rather than jumping over the rooftops, it took much longer.**

**"****How far out is it? We're getting pretty close to the wall," Miyugi said nervously.**

**"****So what? As long as it's in the wall, we're safe. Wait, it's in the wall, isn't it?" Trig asked.**

**"****Yes. I've only left this village once since coming here, and that was on our trip to Suna."**

**We walked along the partially there path. Occasionally it ended up buried under the tall grass, but we could see it a little further ahead.**

**When the house came in sight, Trig and Miyugi were pretty impressed. I showed them everything, except the secret room, and the roof, since the stairs were in the secret room.**

**"****This place is amazing. When are you going to start cleaning up so you can move in?" Miyugi asked.**

**"****Friday. Well, tomorrow, since tomorrow is Friday."**

**"****That's so cool. And it's great that you won't have to live at the orphanage anymore."**

**"****That doesn't change the fact that I'm an orphan. At least, until I can prove my parents are alive."**

**"****Do you think they've died?"Trig asked.**

**"****From what I could tell, they were really important. Almost always out on missions. They were rarely home. If they are alive, it's almost as miraculous as my journey here, and that I live."**

**"****Did you find out who that girl from yesterday was, yet?"**

**"****Her name is Hikari Akane. She's a ninja that ran away from the Land of Sound. I don't know where that is. Do either of you?"**

**"****No. Leaf Genin are forbidden from knowing it's location. There's a lot of evil people in that land, and it's really dangerous. Did she seem like a spy?"**

**"****No. She seemed as frightened as I was when I first got here. I woke up in the hospital, and I freaked."**

**"****Yeah, but…"**

**"****No, it's not different. The method she used to arrive here and the causes for her arrival may have been different, but it's the same kind of thing."**

**"****Alright, alright. Let's not argue. We're a team. Act like one. Ayami, what did you want to do to train here?" Miyugi asked. I was surprised that he was being the peacemaker.**

**"****I wasn't really sure even when I first set out. You guys have any ideas?"**

**"****Why don't we do some physical exercises? You know, build up more muscle," Trig said.**

**I snorted to cover up a giggle.**

**"****What?"**

**"****Nothing. You're right. Just the way you said it."**

**"****What do you want to do first?"**

**"****Flexibility. Let's stretch."**

**The boys were flexible enough, Miyugi quite a bit more than Trig, but he was really good at taijutsu. I was a bit above average for a girl, but not by much.**

**Miyugi and I sparred in taijutsu for a while. Then Trig brought out the sword on his back. I'd never actually seen it before. I'd wondered about it since meeting him.**

**"****What is it?"**

**"****A sword of my clan. I named it Quaker. I can use special earth jutsu with it, and a couple of Hiden techniques of my clan."**

**"****Is there a story behind the sword?"**

**"****There is. Would you like to hear it?"**

**"****Yeah."**


End file.
